Guyana Times Saturday, July 25, 2020

PSC calls on Top Cop to probe threats against GECOM Chair P

11

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4357

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

Recount Order valid unless an Elections Court determines otherwise – GECOM Chair tells COA

…says appeal “frivolous” and “vexatious”, should be dismissed …case to be heard today See story on page 3

See story on page 9

Top Cop must explain permission given to APNU/AFC for public meetings – Mustapha ANUG, LJP reject APNU/ AFC’s call for dialogue

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: Validity of Recount Order

Court would be supporting illegality if appeal upheld – Jagdeo, Ali P10 submit

P14 Guyana records 20th COVID-19 death – Deputy CMO …family refutes Public Health Ministry info

WCD man appeals dangerous driving conviction

P8

Page 2

…say not open to talks with dictators

Bar Association Lawyer expresses condemns fear over Lowenfield’s attacks on access to sensitive COA judge Page 7

evidential documents

...says “stand up for something …released on $450,000 bail on criminal charges or fall for anything” Page 15

Drivers escape unhurt following P8 accident on Wismar Bridge

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ANUG, LJP reject APNU/AFC’s call for dialogue

…say not open to talks with dictators

ANUG’s Presidential Candidate Ralph Ramkarran (standing) along with Executive member Timothy Jonas

T

wo of new pollical parties that contested the March 2 elections have rejected the recent calls by the caretaker APNU/AFC to have a dialogue with other political parties and stakeholders on the way for forward for Guyana.

The caretaker APNU/AFC on Wednesday had said that “…in the national interest, and with a view to maintaining stability and peace, [it] remains open to dialogue with other political parties and stakeholders on the way forward for our country. The APNU+AFC Coalition is prepared to act responsibly to bring a resolution to the ongoing political situation.”

However, in separate state-

ments on Friday, A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) both said the only resolution for the country to move forward is for the coalition to concede its defeat at the March 2 elections.

ANUG reminded that the current political and electoral impasse the country finds itself in was the doing of the caretaker regime.

“It should be noted that the ongoing political situation they claim to want resolved, is in totality again, their own doing and making. It is nothing short of dishonesty and another display of the duplicitous nature of the leadership of APNU+AFC

to say they are prepared to act to resolve a situation, a situation which they have created and is within their power to resolve,” ANUG posited in its missive.

On this note, the party said that if the coalition is in fact prepared to “act responsibly”, then it should firstly concede and allow a new Government to be sworn in.

“If they are indeed prepared to act responsibly, this can be done immediately with the simple act of conceding. To not do so, only demonstrates that the coalition continues to act in bad faith and against the best interest of the nation,” ANUG contended.

Meanwhile, the LJP echoed similar sentiments, noting that the time for dialogue was since December 22, 2018 – the day after the coalition was toppled by a No-Confidence Motion.

The party noted that the caretaker APNU/AFC has shown contempt for Guyana since then by failing to resign immediately and call elections within three months as mandated by the Constitution as well as contempt for the international community as of late by showing the utmost disrespect for anyone who points out their attempts to rig the elections while holding Guyana at ransom.

This, according to the LJP, is a clear demonstration that the coalition is disingenuous, irresponsible and duplicitous.

“It is oxymoronic to be a dictator and want to call yourself a “resistance” when all that you are resisting is the will of the people. The Liberty and Justice Party firmly believes that any dialogue with any

dictatorship only serves to legitimise that dictatorship and will “NOT” engage in any such actions at this juncture with the APNU… Should the APNU be genuinely interested in constructive dialogue, conceding that they have lost these elections would be viewed as a genuine first step,” the party asserted.

Both ANUG and the LJP said they will only have a dialogue with a legally elected Government, parliamentary opposition, other political parties and stakeholders in finding a progressive path forward for Guyana with issues such as constitutional and electoral reform high on the agenda.

This, ANUG said, can only be brought about through the declaration of the elections by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) using the votes tallied by the National Recount process, which the leadership of both APNU/AFC and the main political Opposition, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) agreed to.

Already, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has indicated that the People’s Progressive Party will not be having any dialogue with APNU/AFC before the elections declaration is made.

The 33-day recount exercise shows PPP/C with a landslide victory of 233,336 votes while the caretaker coalition obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of some 15,416 votes.

Additionally, ANUG gained a total of 2313 votes while the LJP secured 2657 votes.

The votes obtained by the other new parties that contested the March

Liberty and Justice Party Leader, Lenox Shuman

2 elections are Change Guyana –1953; People’s Republic Party – 889; The Citizenship Initiative – 680; The New Movement – 244; and the United Republican Party – 360.

Meanwhile, in its missive on Friday, the LJP reiterated calls for Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, to be removed from his post.

Lowenfield has consistently failed to adhere to the directions of the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, to use the results from the recount process to compile his final elections report. Instead, he has presented several reports with fraudulent figures.

According to LJP, “The responsibility for us as a country being at this juncture politically is a burden that must be shouldered by the PNC and the GECOM Secretariat under the leadership of Keith Lowenfield.

He has shown his disregard for the voting public and the Commission by his actions and those actions demonstrate the urgent and immediate need for his dismissal.” (G8)

NEWS

3

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, July 25 – 08:00h – 09:30h and 22:00h – 04:00h and Sunday, July 26 – 09:00h – 10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, July 25 – 07:20h – 08:50h and Sunday, July 26 – 08:15h – 09:45h.

Recount Order valid unless an Elections Court determines otherwise – GECOM Chair tells COA …says appeal “frivolous” and “vexatious”, should be dismissed

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine will prevail during the day. There will be light rain showers and clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-Westerly to South SouthEasterly to East South-Easterly to Easterly to East North-Easterly to Easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 07:55h and 20:23h reaching maximum heights of 2.65 metres and 2.56 metres.

Low Tide: 13:54h reaching a minimum height of 0.60 metre.

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$44.34/barrel

+0.07

Rough Rice

$212.67 /ton

-0.17

London Sugar

$357.00/ton

-0.56

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1901.30

$1902.30

Low/High

$1880.90

$1907.10

Change

0.00

0.00%

Justice Dawn Gregory

C

hair of the Guyana Elections Commission, Retired Justice Claudette Singh through her attorney Kim Kyte-Thomas, has asked the Court of Appeal to dismiss the case brought by APNU/ AFC agent Misenga Jones.

Jones is appealing the ruling of acting Chief

Justice, Roxane George after she dismissed the case seeking to compel the Guyana Elections Commission to use the declarations of the 10 Returning Officers – inclusive of the fraudulent figures of embattled Returning Officer for District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Clairmont Mingo.

In her submissions to the court, the GECOM Chair argued that the appeal lacks merit and ought to be dismissed since the findings and decision of the Chief Justice represents the long-established jurisprudence of electoral laws and the electoral regime in respect to the issues raised before the court.

She furthered that Jones’ appeal is frivolous, vexatious and amounts to an abuse of the court’s process.

Jones based her appeal on the grounds of whether Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act, No 15 of 2000 pursuant to which GECOM issued Order 60 of 2020 is Constitutional; whether Order 60 and by extension, the recount results obtained therefrom are valid such as to permit a declaration of the March 2, 2020 election results based on the

Justice Rishi Persaud

said recount results; whether the declarations of the Returning Officers for the 10 Electoral Districts made pursuant to Section 84 of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 should be acted on or be set aside; and whether Section 18 of the Election Laws (Amendment) Act of 2000 is unconstitutional in light of Article 177

(2) (b) of the Constitution.

The GECOM Chair’s lawyer contended that all the issues have been dealt

High Court Judge, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry

with during the various legal challenges to the elections process since March 2, 2020. She noted that the reliefs sought by Jones cannot be determined by the Appeal Court and as such, are best suited for an election petition before a duly constituted elections court.

Additionally, KyteThomas submitted that the court is prevented from inquiring into whether any function of the Elections Commission or any of its members has been performed validly or at all except as provided for under the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court by way of an election petition pursuant to Article 163 (1) (b) of the Constitution. Moreover, she expressed that issues raised have already been litigated at various stages by competent courts while alluding to the cases of Moore v GECOM and Others Civil Appeal 38 of 2020, and Caribbean Court of Justice in Ali & Jagdeo v David &

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

Attorney-at-Law Kim Kyte-Thomas

Ors, GY Civ Appeal 41 of 2020.

One of Jones’ contention is that Section 22 of the Elections Law Amendment Act is unconstitutional and that the court should determine such but Kyte-Thomas in her submissions reminded that the Appeal Court already ruled that the issue is best addressed before an elections court.

TURN TO PAGE 9

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Job creation T

here is no doubt whatsoever that one of the biggest failures of the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government is in the area of job creation. Jobs and training opportunities matter a great deal to citizens, and political parties that seek to govern must have in place a proper plan in this regard; one that is practical and achievable, and is aimed at allowing citizens to live meaningful lives.

In fact, if one were to conduct among youths in Guyana a survey to find out what are their main concerns, it is almost certain that among those topping the list would be acquisition of a stable, well-paid job. This is perhaps the same for many other countries, as more and more persons are demanding better job opportunities, which would enable them to take care of themselves and their families and achieve financial security. In spite of boasting about creating “a better life” for young people, the coalition has failed miserably in this area; and many believe that this played a major part in its defeat at the March 2 polls.

Many political analysts have criticised the coalition for seemingly not having any clear plan in relation to job creation.

Rather than adding jobs to the economy, the coalition Administration took away jobs, and placed thousands of persons into poverty. In fact, some analysts have estimated that over 30,000 jobs were lost since the coalition took office in May 2015, with the closure of the sugar estates accounting for the majority of those losses.

This newspaper had carried several heart-breaking stories of the suffering of communities which for decades had largely been dependent on the sugar sector to survive. The impact has been devastating, both economically and socially, and it certainly would take many years for those communities to fully recover. It would take strategic thinking and a huge amount of resources to bring back those communities to where they were prior to the closures.

It should also be mentioned that currently, many other sectors, including mining, construction and services, are doing very poorly, resulting in a number of workers being laid off, mainly due to ineffective policies formulated by the APNU/AFC. Some may argue that Governments do not necessarily create jobs, except in the public service. But it is true that they are responsible for designing and implementing effective policies that would allow for citizens to earn a decent living. Responsible Governments implement policies that encourage Private Sector growth and attract foreign investors, who in turn create good quality jobs. Governments are also expected to form with other stakeholders the partnerships that would see the right set of skills being developed to drive the economy, based on national needs and interests.

During the elections campaign, some political parties placed job creation as a priority in their manifestos. On his part, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Dr Irfaan Ali, had provided a detailed plan which would see more than 50,000 jobs being created.

In previous engagements with the media, Ali had explained that his focus would be on information and communication technology with the establishment of call centres and provision of critical services in sectors such as education, health, finance and security. He had also noted that eco-tourism, agriculture, mining, environmental services, forestry, and housing are key sectors that can churn out many employment opportunities if the right investments are made.

Ali had explained that the PPP/C’s job creation plan also places a major focus on Guyana’s oil and gas sector, especially in the areas of training, shore-based facilities, gas and energy development, enlightened local content, and machinery and engineering.

Many stakeholders had endorsed Ali’s job creation plan, as they believed it was well-thought-out and realistic. The general consensus was that such a vision is badly needed to re-engender confidence in the nation’s workforce and, more importantly, to get people back to work.

Citizens, especially those graduating from tertiary institutions, have always maintained that much more needs to be done by both the Government and Private Sector to create more jobs and training opportunities for citizens. They want to see in place more concrete, realistic plans that would encourage more investors to come here and do business. They wish to see more support for small and medium-scale businesses, which would allow them to grow and become more competitive; and, in general, they want to see opportunities for wealth generation.

Once the current political impasse is settled and the dulyelected government – the PPP – is sworn in, we expect that the new administration would immediately begin to implement its plans in relation to job creation.

Guyanese people’s patience running thin Dear Editor, The prolonged electoral crisis in Guyana has the potential to leave our country in isolation.

Members and supporters of the rigging incumbent party, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, have continuously undermined Guyana’s democratic principles for close to five months now. Their actions have subverted the will of the Guyanese electorate, and have put our country at risk of sanctions from Western allies and suspension from key international and regional organisations; such as the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The actions and defiant utterances of members and supporters of the coalition have tested the patience of Western powers and regional institutions to the extent that, on July 15, the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced visa restrictions imposed on them.

GECOM Chair, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, has since barred Lowenfield from using any figure other than the Recount tally approved by election observers. Not only are these figures widely accepted, but Guyana’s highest court, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), indicated on July 8 that Lowenfield must comply with Singh’s directions to produce a report using only said numbers.

However, it has regrettably become commonplace in Guyana that, not only has Lowenfield not complied with these directions, but a supporter of the coalition filed an injunction with the country’s High Court, seeking to block a declaration of the results based on the Recount. The injunction had little standing in the High Court, given that the

CCJ had already ruled that GECOM can proceed using Recount figures to declare the PPP/C the elections winner.

However, subsequent to this ruling, the APNU+AFC supporter filed an appeal with Guyana’s Court of Appeal.

Thus, the coalition, through its supporters, continues to abuse the judicial system, using injunctions and appeals to delay an official ruling — its last attempt to stay in power.

The events that played out here in Guyana have not gone unnoticed in the international community. Over the course of Guyana’s elections crisis, the United States and other Western powers, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, have called for an acceptance of the Recount results, and have threatened sanctions if the democratic will of Guyanese people is not respected.

Thus far, the U.S. announcement of visa restrictions has kick-started the process, and the United Kingdom and Canada are expected to follow suit.

There is no shortage of statements from countries as well as respected international persons and organisations, calling for David Granger and his caretaker Government to concede. These messages were notably reverberated at the recent Organisation of American States’ (OAS’) Permanent Council meeting on July 21, called by Secretary General Luis Almagro.

Like other foreign actors, the OAS has condemned Lowenfield’s actions, and implied, through its citation of Article 1 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, that the incumbent has not fulfilled its obligation to promote and defend democracy in the Americas.

Not only could Guyana face suspension from the OAS following the incumbent’s actions, but it could face the same

fate from the Commonwealth.

Suspension from these organisations would damage the international reputation of Guyana almost beyond repair.

Also, former Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding has recently said that even if the electoral crisis ended immediately, it would take institutional change and more than a generation to rebuild Guyana’s image within the international community.

Beyond these organisations, members and supporters of the coalition should be most worried about the recent comments from Caricom Chair and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves. As the most senior Caricom leader, whose words carry heavily and widely in the Caribbean. Gonsalves argued that the Community will not be indifferent or detached from Guyana’s situation.

CARICOM remains, according to Granger, “the most legitimate interlocutor”, as well as its most invested.

The statement of Prime Minister Gonsalves, which echoes those of current and former Caribbean leaders, has been called out as foreign interference by the APNU+AFC. However, while the coalition demands respect for Guyanese sovereignty, the Government is party to international, regional, and bilateral agreements, many built around ideas of democracy and intended to hold Guyanese leaders responsible if democratic principles are not respected.

Sovereignty now is a convenient fig leaf for democratic malpractice. To stave off further actions from foreign powers, the immediate solution is for the David Granger Government to concede defeat. This is unlikely, as coalition members and supporters will likely unify and dig in their heels even more as more

foreign pressure is applied.

For these reasons, the international community should continue supporting local actors, specifically the will of the Guyanese people, who have, in the face of electoral turmoil, remained peaceful and committed to democracy.

Nonetheless, these same people could face the repercussions of the APNU/AFC actions as that party exhausts the patience of Guyana’s allies.

It is time for common sense and common decency to prevail, and time for the incumbent and his coalition to put the nation above self and party. While Guyana possesses the potential to become a leading petroleum producer and experience unimaginable economic growth, leading some analysts to claim it could be the next Qatar, there are fears it isn’t adequately equipped to manage such a monumental oil boom.

Recent events point to Guyana being a risky and unstable jurisdiction, being mired in a political crisis which emerged from the disputed March 2020 election. The longevity of the unresolved crisis could lead to an illegitimate government being in office.

Governments such as the APNU/AFC Administration are more likely to engage in unscrupulous activities, as well as implement highly bureaucratic legal and regulatory frameworks that can be easily compromised, facilitating corruption.

We all are aware of the long history of weak government institutions of the PNC/ PNCR - the APNU/AFC, as they now call themselves; and the lack of transparency relative to the award of petroleum licences and related profit-sharing agreements is already ringing alarm bells.

Sincerely, David Adams

Crossing the ‘rainbow bridge’

Dear Editor, A rainbow is neither a tangible item nor is it a mirage, but is an optical illusion that may be described as a multicoloured arch in the sky, produced by prismatic refraction, reflection and dispersion of light within droplets of rain in the air.

This meteorological phenomenon decorates the sky in the day with the help of the sun, and in the night with the support of the moon. Artists dabble with its bright colours of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan (light blue), indigo (deep blue) and violet. In every religion and culture, on seeing a rainbow, some may associate a spiritual meaning to represent hope, inspiration, promise, and a bridge linking earth to heaven.

In Chinese legend, the rainbow is a symbol of “yin and yang,” recognising five colours in harmony to represent perfect balance.

For animal lovers, on the demise of a cat or dog in particular, the rainbow comforts the owners with a belief that the lost pet would travel on that bridge to a place far beyond, and continue to live and play

happily.

In Southeast Texas, USA (Guyana’s powerful ally, and perhaps a key deciding factor, if not influencer), there is the “Rainbow Bridge,” a through truss bridge that crosses the Neches River, handling westbound traffic only (the Veterans Memorial Bridge serves the eastbound traffic).

Guyana’s weather is playing havoc, and has certainly lived up to its name and nature for the past weeks; and a similar pattern is promised going forward. Its meteorological, psychological and political effects synchronise, if not run parallel and concurrently, reflecting a deeper significance, painted with the colours of doom and gloom, and do affect the daily lives of the impoverished Guyanese people.

Many are praying to the Divine, and are looking up to the heavens, desperately peeping, peering and searching for the blessed sight of the beautiful and colourful rainbow in the sky; desperately expecting -- and pinning a ray of hope on that expectation -- that we shall overcome all the obstacles and hurdles as we await the promised day when good shall

triumph over evil, truth shall survive, and the land would again be fertilised with the blood, sweat and tears of loving Guyanese people who are living in unity and strength and working to build a more prosperous Guyana so that equality, justice and fraternity would truly paint a representative picture with the rainbow colours, portraying the path that leads to one people in one nation with one destiny.

Let us hope that tropical storm Gonzalo passes without any damage to Guyana, so that that country can see a rainbow.

At the rate the APNU/AFC Party is dictating the pace of this nation, this country is uncertain if and when a new government would be allowed to administrate its affairs.

With all the shenanigans, pussy-footing, Tomfoolery, political mischief, economic misdemeanours, tongue-twisting, lies, deceit, malicious attacks, financial misconduct, vexatious court litigation, and dangerous propaganda perpetrated by the APNU/AFC Party, the will of the people to freely and credibly elect the PPP/C Party to occupy their rightful place as the legitimate

Government of Guyana for the next five years at least is being stifled.

The majority of the Guyanese electorate voted, and Madam Chair of GECOM promised to uphold the laws of this country when she swore on the Holy Book to abide by the Constitution and do that which is only right and just.

Ms. Claudette Singh needs to clear the dark clouds and show the rainbow to the public, so that this Divine inspiration would translate to the immediate conclusion of the election process with the legitimate Recount result being used. That is the first bridge the Guyanese people need to cross.

If, and when, the PPP/C Party is allowed to govern, it would then be allowed to reveal its manifesto, which has the potential to translate a dream into reality with a jam-packed programme. This agenda promises an umbrella that covers and protects all of Guyana; embraces each person; reflects equitable distribution, and accommodates the need for development and prosperity in a united and peaceful manner.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

5

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Strange thing about Election petition is a tool to challenge declaration in court Guyana’s politics Dear Editor, As a politically-neutral observer of Guyanese and Swiss descent residing abroad, I have, in the past, raised concerns that the number of votes cast in the 2020 General Elections appear to be too high (see Guyana Chronicle of July 11, 2020).

In short, with an estimated 477,910 eligible voters living in Guyana and 460,295 votes cast in the 2020 General Elections, the voter turnout would be 96.3%. This is rath-

er unrealistic for many reasons, and is uncommon in liberal democracies. To date, I still have not seen any credible and convincing evidence to disprove my analysis.

However, given the recent court decisions, I believe the time has come for GECOM to declare the results on the basis of the Recount votes. It is in the national interest to move on. As I understand it, Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield is not willing to do so, as he has serious issues

with the validity of a significant portion of the votes cast.

He is entitled to his views, but the Guyana High Court does not support them. Hence, my advice to Mr. Lowenfield is to step down in order to clear the way for GECOM to declare the results of the Recount.

Importantly, however, I encourage Mr. Lowenfield, the APNU+AFC, or any other party with evidence of election fraud to challenge the declaration by filing an election petition in accordance with the

provisions of Article 163 of the Constitution of Guyana.

This will be the proper and constitutional venue to present evidence in support of the notion of too many votes cast, or any other election irregularities concerning the 2020 General Elections. Foreign governments and international organisations would hardly be able to label such actions as illegal.

Sincerely, Andre Brandli

An appeal to respect the court’s ruling, as obtains in America and South Africa Dear Editor, Guyanese in America are deeply disturbed by the reluctance of the coalition Government to respect the rulings of the Guyana Court on the election matter.

In America, Guyanese are accustomed to a society of law and order and respect for court rulings. In fact, Guyanese and other minorities rely on the court for enforcement of their civic rights. They expect the same in Guyana, where the incumbent Government has been defiant against the international community and the court.

The CCJ spoke definitively to bring finality to the election – use the Recount to declare the results. That was three weeks ago; but it is being ignored, and the judicial process in Guyana is being abused to prevent a declaration of the results.

In the US, Guyanese of all ethnicities -- minorities relative to the dominant White race group -- have been victims of racism and occasional electoral fraud; but when they approached the court, they got justice. When the court spoke, the Government and the dominant White people who controlled the levers of power listened and respected the law.

It was the court that ended racial segregation and electoral fraud and empowered Black Americans. The court recognised the injustice of electoral fraud that prevented Blacks from getting a fair share of electoral representation, and corrected it.

It was also the court that corrected the historic injustice of segregation and lack of political representation in South Africa. White judges were relatively fair to the nonWhites, like Blacks, Indians, and Coloureds, or Mixed. The governments during and after apartheid respected the rulings of the court.

It is shameful that the same is not happening in Guyana, where the final court declared that the figures from the Recount exercise must be the basis for the declaration of the March 2 election. Imagine, racist governments in South Africa and America, long opposed to equality and the right to vote for non-Whites, have gone past their racism and allowed Blacks, Indians, Mixed and others to vote, and have their votes counted. But in Guyana, a non-White state, in this era of the year 2020, the Government is unwilling

to have the votes counted and used as the basis for an election declaration.

A non-White government is unwilling to heed the ruling of a court. Such behaviour is worse than what happened in Jim Crow USA and apartheid South Africa. Guyanese and the people of the world will long remember this resistance to law and reluctance to accept electoral defeat as a most shameful episode in the history of Guyana, if not the world.

A government lost a free and fair election but is unwilling to step down. It is long past the time to put an end to judicial recourse as the plan to stop the declaration of the results.And the court also must stop being party to the plan to tolerate electoral fraud.

Guyanese say some judges clearly compromised their integrity, or a spirit of fairness that existed even among White racist judges in South Africa and America. The court must stop entertaining appeals and filings of matters

that are ‘res adjudicata’ (already decided upon to finality). The current matter before the CoA should be dismissed quickly.

Judicial integrity requires that judges act unanimously to throw it out. I recall, in my studies of American Constitutional Law, on the topic of desegregation (Brown Vs Board of Ed), Chief Justice Earl Warren surveyed the judges and those who planned to vote ‘no desegregation’. He convinced them with lucid arguments why they must vote ‘yes’. No judge should oppose as important a matter as equality of all people, regardless of race or colour.

Likewise, no judge should oppose the transparent recount of votes to declare an election.

No judge should dissent on the power of an election commission to instruct an election officer who is bent on perpetrating electoral fraud on a nation. Every vote is equal; none should be thrown out.

Racist White judges didn’t

throw them out in America when the non-White people fought for justice. We remember well the struggle of Gandhi, Plessy, Mandela, Rosa Parks, King, Sohan Singh Bhakna, Lewis, among others which led to our freedom. It was a long battle, but they persevered and won. The Whites heard their pleas, voices and cries, and said enough was enough. They gave the non-Whites their freedom and the right to vote and have their votes counted fairly. The Government of Guyana must follow in the footsteps of those racists in America and South Africa: Free the people! The Guyanese people and the world anxiously wait to see if judges would make a similar ruling: that 33 is not a majority of 65; or whether “more votes” means “valid votes”. Is there such a thing as counting ‘invalid votes’? non-Guyanese ask.

Yours truly, Dr Vishnu Bisram

Crossing the rainbow...

The proper management of COVID-19 repercussions takes precedence, and a general review of the PPP/C Party’s priorities has to be revisited, going back to the drawing board.

How quickly the Guyanese people can start to enjoy the benefits of a new Government cannot be openly guaranteed or correctly anticipated. This is so because of the sad state of affairs in which the APNU/ AFC Party currently maintains the status quo of this nation. What type of damage control would be implemented to harness this bankrupt nation would be a gigantic challenge, and so you cannot count the chickens before they are hatched.

All eyes will definitely be watching the PPP/C Party once it gets into office. Its every action will be scrutinised. All ears will be opened, waiting and listening for the sound emanating from even the drop of a pin.

The rumour-mongers will be working overnight. Voices will be so vocal that throats will be parched from their outbursts. The slightest error will be chastised, and opponents will be on a determined mission to audit each and every transaction. Mistakes will neither be allowed nor forgiven, and there will be

no room for a second opinion. That Party would have to hit the ground hard, running as fast as possible without pausing for breath. That is the unrealistic expectation that the Opposition will tolerate. As such, the PPP/C Party will have to be on its P’s and Q’s each and every second.

It must cross its T’s and dot its I’s, and leave no space for blots.

The actions of its members will be under the microscope, and the hand of the surgeon will be poised with a scalpel.

Bear in mind that those who mean well would want the PPP/C Party to succeed; and, don’t be surprised, the current critics of the APNU/AFC Party will be the ones to continue providing critical support either with their voices or their fingers, or both. The PPP/C Party will certainly need to stay in line, and not repeat any mistakes it had incurred before. But let us cross that bridge when we reach it.

The APNU/AFC Party has been caught with its pants down on numerous occasions. Its members are deeply wounded and badly hurt, are in a hole and are cornered.

They have placed the knee on the backs of their very own supporters, and are ashamed.

But they need a way out, because they are approaching

FROM PAGE 4

the end of the game knowing that they are not the winner, especially with the US implementing immediate sanctions, with more to follow.

Their last resort is to be brazen, look defiant, and want to negotiate with the instrument of bartering, borrowing, begging and bargaining as a disguised tool. But the silence of distrust speaks louder than their bullish demand. Their sole intention to own and control precedes any compromised intention.

Voicing publicly their total disregard for the scrutinised CARICOM Recount result, and refusing to accept its credible and legitimate declaration unleashes a threat rather than a comment. It is sounding a clear warning. Luckily, the international community has our backs covered, and are supportive of a democratic Guyana.

The international community wants the APNU/AFC Party to accept the legal and legitimate election Recount result as the credible declaration, and allow GECOM to complete the election process without further mischievous court litigation. Guyana cannot abuse those honourable dignitaries who have been outspoken against the APNU/ AFC Party’s thwarting of the will of the people. We came

Dear Editor, The strange thing about Guyana’s politics is that it is not strange at all.

You may ask the question: “Why?”, and the answer to that question is that there is no strangeness, no anomaly whatsoever, when you view our politics, both past and present.

What is clear is that one political party is trying its utmost to bully its way around, while at the same time expecting everyone to accept it unquestioningly. It is an old Burnhamite principle upheld by that party that you lie, cheat, steal, and bludgeon your way through; and expect the wider community to accept your actions.

Well, I have news for that party: That is not going to happen under any circumstance.

The international community is not going to allow that to happen.

So, let us examine the present impasse: Elections were held on March 2, 2020, and the results are that there was a clear winner in the PPP/C. This fact was highlighted in the SOPs of the day, which showed unquestioningly the PPP/C being the winner.

However, the APNU/AFC had other plans; they were not prepared to relinquish office.

Helped by a corrupt and compromised RO in Mingo, they decided to depart from the established figures given on the SOPs and resort to a substitution of figures of their own, which landed a win for the PNC. It was only quick action by the PPP/C which saw this rigging plan thwarted.

As a summary to this sordid affair, the GECOM Chairwoman agreed to a Recount. It was at this point that the PNC operatives commenced this campaign fraud talk. The Coalition went into that Recount exercise with the

expressed intention of bringing the Recount of the votes into disrepute, shouting fraud at every available opportunity like the proverbial saying that those who shout thief the loudest are themselves the thieves. This is the position of the PNC-led Coalition.

However, shouting fraud did not change a thing, because the recounted SORs were carbon copies of the original SOPs, and that is all that matters.

Surprisingly enough, from those very same “fraudulent votes”, they have managed to eke out a win for themselves; so, who determines which votes are fraudulent and which are not? Are we to accept the voodoo figures of Mingo and Lowenfield and, like dumb sheep, ask no questions? Or are we going to stick to the beaten path of the established Recount? Which is it? I know that all civilised communities choose their governments on votes, and nothing else. Why should Guyana be an exception? Wasn’t it that same system that brought the PNC-led Coalition into office in 2015? What’s the problem now? Apparently, the PNC thinks all Guyanese, and even members of the wider world community, are fools, but like I said before: no one is buying into that foolishness. So, here we are, 143 days on, and the PNC are still setting up roadblocks in a vain attempt to hinder the will of the people of this country. They certainly will not succeed, and so their plans to stay in office illegally are doomed.

Soon, and very soon, the declaration will come, and all the parties - especially the PNC - will have to abide by it.

Long live democracy!

a long way with the entire world holding our hands, and so we cannot burn the bridge we have crossed.

The APNU/AFC Party, with a ringleader for a rogue, certainly does not mean well, and does not have the interest of Guyana at heart; otherwise, he would have prevented the court litigation which starts on Saturday (to-

day) with the COA. Guyana is restless and sleepless, and cannot stand alone; it still needs the blessings and help of the entire international community to safely cross the ‘rainbow bridge’, in order to achieve real freedom from the cabal of rogues.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Respectfully, Jai Lall

6

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

Page

Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish CXC English and Mathematics questions with specimen answers.

CXC QUESTIONS

MATHS

ENGLISH

B

The Tempest

By William Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 2 Cont’d

PROSPERO: For this, be sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps, Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up. Urchins Shall, forth at vast of night that they may work, All exercise on thee. Thou shalt be pinched As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging Than bees that made ‘em.

CALIBAN: I must eat my dinner.

This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first, Thou strok’st me and made much of me, wouldst give me Water with berries in ’t, and teach me how 340To name the bigger light, and how the less, That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle, The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile.

Cursed be I that did so! All the charms Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!

For I am all the subjects that you have, Which first was mine own king. And here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me The rest o’ th’ island.

PROSPERO: Thou most lying slave, Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee, Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee In mine own cell till thou didst seek to violate The honor of my child.

CALIBAN: Oh ho, oh ho! Would ’t had been done!

Thou didst prevent me. I had peopled else This isle with Calibans.

MIRANDA: Abhorrèd slave, Which any print of goodness wilt not take, Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee, Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour One thing or other. When thou didst not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes With words that made them known. But thy vile race, Though thou didst learn, had that in ’t which good natures Could not abide to be with. Therefore wast thou Deservedly confined into this rock, Who hadst deserved more than a prison.

CALIBAN: You taught me language, and my profit on ’t Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you For learning me your language!

PROSPERO: Hag-seed, hence!

Fetch us in fuel. And be quick, thou ‘rt best, To answer other business. Shrug’st thou, malice?

If thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly What I command, I’ll rack thee with old cramps, Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar That beasts shall tremble at thy din.

CALIBAN: No, pray thee. (aside) I must obey. His art is of such power, It would control my dam’s god, Setebos, And make a vassal of him.

PROSPERO: So, slave, hence!

Exit CALIBAN

TO BE CONTINUED

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lawyer expresses fear over Lowenfield’s access to sensitive evidential documents …released on $450,000 bail on criminal charges

Attorney Glenn Hanoman

H

igh drama unfolded at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday morning when embattled Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission, Keith Lowenfield made his first court appearance to answer to criminal charges filed by two private citizens.

The case was brought forward by private citizens Desmond Morian and Daniel Kanhai - both of whom are represented by Attorney Glenn Hanoman.

Lowenfield, who was represented by Attorney Nigel

Senior Counsel Neil Boston

New Movement Party, filed a charge which stated that between March 5 and June 23, 2020, the CEO conspired with person(s) unknown to commit the common law offence of fraud when he submitted his Election Report dated June 23 to include figures that altered the results of the elections.

Meanwhile, Morian contended that Lowenfield, while performing his duties as CEO of GECOM, ascertained the results of the March 2 elections “knowing the said results to be false, the said wilful misconduct

that was submitted to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, back in March.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charges. He was released on $150,000 for each of the charges, amounting to $450,000. The matter will continue on August 14.

After the matter concluded, Lowenfield made a lowkey exit while Senior Counsel Boston told media operatives that his client was “disappointed” that

The APNU/AFC mob that caused disruption during the proceedings

Hughes and Neil Boston, SC appeared before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty. He was slapped with three private criminal charges regarding conspiracy to commit fraud, misconduct in public office and breach of trust.

On July 3, the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts issued a summons for the CEO after marshals could not find him to serve him with notice of the case.

However, it took over three weeks before he was officially served on July 23.

Kanhai, a member of The

amounting to a breach of the public’s trust in the office which he presides.

When those two charges came up for hearing before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on July 3, Lowenfield was a noshow.

Following that court session, Morian filed another private criminal charge, contending that Lowenfield conspired with a person or persons unknown to use Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo’s fraudulent figures to prepare a report

he was brought before the court for “something that he has not done”.

Sensitive evidential documents

On the other hand, Kanhai and his attorney were forced to leave the court in haste, after encountering a mob of supporters from the APNU/AFC coalition.

However, Hanoman later told Guyana Times in a telephone interview that they have compelling evidence to support the charges filed

against the GECOM official.

These statements came after Boston hurled allegations that the litigants were unprepared. On the other hand, Hanoman also dispelled allegations that his arguments were politicised.

“I am a lawyer with no political affiliation. I was hired to do a job. They were all legal arguments in court but they’re trying to politicise it. Of course, the charges have ramifications politically… This is a serious criminal offence,” the attorney said.

He added, “He went outside and said we’re not ready [and] we’re still investigating. That is far from the case. We’ve already investigated and we have compelling evidence that can establish the offence.”

Hanoman said a request was made for Lowenfield’s passport to be lodged as a condition of this bail since he has means to leave this jurisdiction. This was denied, along with the request for a substantial sum to be set for bail.

“I asked for substantial bail and I asked for conditions of bail to be attached.

The reason why I asked for substantial bail was because I indicated to the court that Mr Lowenfield is a man of means…Usually, I believe the court should fix a higher bail.”

He added that an undertaking was also requested since the embattled CEO has access to important documents, taking his portfolio into consideration.

“We wanted an undertaking from the accused to the court that certain sensitive documents in his possession would be preserved because he is the custodian of those documents, like the SoRs and SoPs. The court did not insist on that undertaking either…The concerns were based on the fact that he still works at GECOM and he still has ac-

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield leaving the courtroom on Friday

cess to documents and people that we will potentially need to use against him. We still have a concern about that.”

He said they asked Boston to recuse himself from the matter since he might be called as a prosecution witness and also due to a “conflict of interest”.

“The reason why we might have to use Mr Boston as a prosecution witness is because he drafted affidavits of Mr Lowenfield that were used in the High Court proceedings and we want to tender those same affidavits in the criminal matter. In those affidavits, Mr Lownfield made certain admissions that have a bear-

ing on the criminal matter,” the attorney clarified.

After the elections concluded, the Chief Elections Officer would have prepared three different reports of concocted numbers, which did not match the figures tallied during the Caricom-supervised National Recount. Those false reports, which show that the APNU/AFC won the elections, were submitted to the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh. However, the figures from the national elections recount exercise show that it was in fact the Opposition – Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic – which won the elections. (G12)

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

La Penitence man gets 4 years for narco-trafficking — accomplice remanded

F

orty-year-old Jason Heligar of Independence Boulevard, East La Penitence, Georgetown, was on Friday sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by Magistrate Wanda Fortune after he was found guilty of narcotics trafficking.

Heligar, who was also fined $13,608,000, pleaded guilty to the offence during

a virtual court appearance at the Linden Magistrate’s Court. However, his accomplice, twenty-year-old Mark English of C Field, Sophia, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded to prison.

The duo was charged with the offence of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, and according to court documents, they were caught with 9072

PNC coup d’etat…

Jason Heligar

Mark English

grams of cannabis sativa.

English was remanded

to prison until August 17, 2020.

Drivers escape unhurt following accident on Wismar Bridge

T

The minibus after ending up on the steel structure

wo drivers escaped severe injuries following a mishap on Thursday evening on the McKenzie-Wismar Bridge, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Based on information received, a motorcycle and a minibus were attempting to cross the one-lane bridge at the same time, but upon realising what was happening, they both swerved to avoid a collision.

As a result, the driver of the minibus reportedly lost control and ended up

on the metal structure at the centre of the bridge.

The incident occurred at about 23:00h. There was reportedly no major damage to the bridge nor the vehicles. The minibus was, however, subsequently removed from the bridge.

The single-lane bridge is managed by traffic lights on both sides but it is unclear who had the right of way at the time.

Police are investigating the incident and are reportedly reviewing surveillance cameras to ascertain who is responsible.

WCD man appeals dangerous driving conviction

A

26-year-old man who was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on September 9, 2019, has now moved to appeal his conviction as he seeks to have the sentence overturned.

Bishram Ramkishore was recently released on $500,000 bail by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon, pending the appeal.

Reports are that 26-year-old Bishram Ramkishore of Lot 29 Good Fortuin, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was driving motor car PTT 6297 along the Vreed-en-Hoop Public Road on the WCD with his friends Victor Aditya Ram and 23-yearold Kevin Henry of Lot 22 Good Fortuin, as passengers.

He was driving along New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, WCD, at about 01:50h, and while in the vicinity of the Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company, a pedestrian allegedly began crossing the road, and to avoid hitting the pedestrian, Ramkishore reportedly swerved his vehicle but lost control and crashed into a metal signboard before slamming into a concrete fence.

All three young men sustained injuries and were

O

…in the making?

nce again, your Eyewitness reminds all of you, dear readers, of how you scoffed when, from the very onset of the Mingo rig-marole at Ashmins, he insisted the PNC has bared their fangs. They weren’t going to listen to anybody: not the courts, not powerful countries, not regional blocks. Granger had made up his mind to rig these elections from the moment he entered office, and nothing was going to stop him. He’d signalled his intention when he hand-picked James Patterson to be Chair of GECOM. Heck, that was in Oct 2017.

Reverse the tape to May 2015, when he hived off the Departments of Immigration and Registration from Ramjattan’s Home Affairs Ministry and passed them on to Winston Felix as “Ministry of Citizenship”. He was going to follow his idol Burnham’s footsteps to the “T” and fiddle with the birth certificates and registration records to give himself a built-in majority. Just as Burnham did in 1968 with the UF, Granger figured he didn’t need the AFC anymore – and stiffed Nagamootoo personally and the Berbice sugar workers collectively!

Whatever he’d planned however, certainly went awry on the night of March 3rd, when the numbers from the outlying 9 Regions came in and showed his PNC was losing big time. Mingo had to do his thing in front of the entire diplomatic corps and the observers. There was no turning back now!! In for a penny…in for a pound!! Or, as Burnham would put it: “Back to back, belly to belly. Ah doan give a damn, ah done dead a’ready!!”

And that’s why Granger has cussed out every friend and ally since then – CariCom, the US, UK, EU, OAS, etc.

You name the friend and they’ve been cussed – stinking!

So, what’s ahead?? Well, we just have to follow the logic of the situation. The only folks in Guyana who could stop Granger and his band of power-grabbers are his supporters. if the latter were to come out against the former, they’d have to fold up their tents and surrender.

The troops that Granger’s ultimately depending on won’t oppose the power-grabbers. Hadn’t Ogunseye, in 2011, insisted that “the army would not put down an uprising by their kith and kin”, when he called out PNC supporters into the streets against elections in which they’d lost??

And we’ve come a full circle, haven’t we?? The PNC have gone out to rally their supporters – even violating their COVID regulations – to come out against the expected Appellate Court’s decision. When they stream out into the streets, that’ll be the PNC’s excuse to call out the troops.

With the COVID regulations and the troops patrolling in full battle gear, what else would that be but a coup d’etat??

…the reaction

The fence into which Bishram Ramkishore crashed. Inset is the damaged car

immediately rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), where Aditya Ram was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to court documents seen by this publication, Ramkishore had suffered severe head and skull injuries and was later transferred to a private city hospital, where he was placed on life support.

Ramkishore’s lawyer, Melvin Duke, stated that the injuries his client re-

ceived have caused him to be permanently disabled, virtually helpless, barely able to walk, and speak with a prolonged slur.

Duke said that his client attempted to settle this detrimental situation with the family of the deceased but was unsuccessful because of the large and unreasonable sum of money they are demanding.

The lawyer contended that his client’s conviction and sentence cannot stand

and must be set aside because, during the trial, the surviving rear-seat passenger changed his story and testified contrary to the statement given to the police.

He further affirmed that despite the glaring inconsistency in the differing accounts of the rear-seat passenger, the learned Magistrate found Ramkishore guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. (G1)

So, what then?? Granger’s clearly of the opinion that the US are either a paper tiger, or they wouldn’t intervene in a backwater like Guyana. The former because they’ve opposed Maduro in Venezuela for democratic breaches, expropriation of US assets, drug smuggling etc. but he’s still standing.

Well, Granger’s wrong on both counts. Firstly, he doesn’t have the military firepower or Russian allies like Venezuela does; and secondly, Guyana ain’t no backwater no more with all that oil off our shores. And Exxon as the major extractor.

Now, several designated situations can give the US the right to use force in other states – such as they did when they landed 20,000+ troops in Panama in Dec 1989. They pointed out that they were restoring democracy, and that US citizens were at risk (anticipatory self-defence).

After they ousted Noriega – and kept him in jail until he died in 2017 - they installed Endara in office. He’d won the elections earlier in the year, but was prevented from taking office.

Sounds familiar??

…and the Guyanese people

If the racial polarisation which the PNC has deepened into a gaping canyon since Dec 21, 2018 wasn’t enough to destroy any hope of reconciliation in our country, a coup d’etat certainly would.

The choice is up to the PNC’s supporters.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

9

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Top Cop must explain permission given to APNU/AFC for public meetings – Mustapha at preserving the health and well-being of our citizens.

Item 2 (1) (j) and (k) of the revised COVID-19 Emergency Measures published in the Official Gazette on July 16, 2020, states: “No person shall attend or visit a meeting of a fraternal society, private or so-

PPP/C Executive Zulfikar Mustapha

Friday’s missive.

After being charged for “hosting a meeting of a fraternal civic organisation” and placed on $25,000 bail each back in May, the charges were withdrawn against former PPP/C parliamentarian, Neil Kumar, and protester,

Secretary

T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has called on the Police Commissioner, Leslie James, to explain how the caretaker APNU/AFC got permission to hold several regional outreaches at a time when COVID-19 Emergency Measures prohibits any public gathering.

The coalition has planned a series of public meetings this weekend in communities across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) – a move which has been described as one of the party’s last straws to stay in power following its defeat at the March 2, 2020 polls.

However, Executive Secretary of the PPP/C, Zulfikar Mustapha in a statement on Friday expressed his utter disgust and complete bewilderment over the move.

“I am seeking clarifications from the Commissioner of Police, Mr Leslie James DSM on whether permission was granted to the APNU/AFC for these gatherings. If it is a case where indeed permission was granted, I hope that similar courtesies will be extended to the People’s Progressive Party when and if the need arises,” Mustapha said in the missive on Friday.

The PPP/C Executive Secretary went on to point out that these planned meetings are clearly in breach of the COVID-19 laws in place aimed

cial club or civic association or organisation; or any other social activity.”

Further, Item 17, under the heading, “Offence”, it is stated that any person who fails to comply with any of these measures commits an offence under Section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance and is liable to summary conviction to the penalty provided under that Section.”

Mustapha used the opportunity to remind that only two months ago, a PPP leader and a democracy advocate were arrested and placed before the courts for picketing peacefully and observing all the COVID-19 guidelines outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the PPP/C Executive Secretary, supporters of the coalition continue to flout these guidelines in Georgetown without any reprimand.

“This kind of double standard speaks volume… I am encouraging Guyanese not to participate in these so-called outreaches as they were only events to spew lies and misinformation. Do not put your health and that of your families at risk to satisfy the thirst of a few in the APNU/AFC to illegally hang onto power,” Mustapha implored in

Recount Order valid...

FROM PAGE 3

Kyte-Thomas argued that any relevant subsidiary legislation in the foregoing provision would include a subsidiary legislation made under the Elections Law (Amendment Act); a subsidiary legislation made under the ROPA; and a subsidiary legislation made under the National Registration Act. Therefore, the GECOM Chair contended that the power given to the Commission under the said Section 22 to modify by order relates only to subsidiary legislation and not to any parent Act. Importantly, she cited Section 20 (1) (C) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Act, Cpt 2:01 which states: “Where subsidiary legislation is in excess of the power under which it is made, it shall nevertheless be valid to the extent to which it is not in excess of that power.”

It was furthered, given those provisions, Order 60 (the Recount Order) is therefore lawful and the results emanating from such is also within the confines of the law.

The attorney noted that Jones’ appeal cannot and should not be entertained by the court since it is premature – in light that the election process is still ongoing. It was noted that any challenge to the validity of an election and any dispute or claim of any irregularities or illegalities in relation to an election can only lawfully form the basis of an election petition after the result has been declared.

“It is obvious from the conduct of the appellant, that her intention is to have the election annulled on the basis of alleged irregularities.

However, this is not permissible at this stage. I submit that this can only be addressed by way of an election petition,” the GECOM Chair said.

Kyte-Thomas reminded that the Court of Appeal endorsed the recount in the case of Moore but noted that GECOM should not abdicate its responsibilities. The validity of Order 60 and the recount numbers were further reinforced by both the CCJ and the CJ in various rulings.

Raphael Boodhoo.

They were arrested when they picketed the Foreign Affairs Ministry after the care-

taker Government blocked the return of the democracy watchdog, The Carter Center, from entering Guyana to observe the recount of ballots from the March 2 General and Regional Elections. This denial prompted PPP/C supporters to take the streets.

Meanwhile, the series of public meetings across Region Three planned by the APNU/ AFC would see senior members of the coalition fanning out across the country this Sunday to meet with supporters.

The outreaches are scheduled in villages such as Crane, Den Amstel, De Kinderen and Uitvlugt on the West Coast of Demerara; and on the West Bank of Demerara in Phoenix Park, Goed Intent, Bagotville and La Parfaite Harmonie.

AFC Executive and caretaker Public Infrastructure

Police Commissioner Leslie James

Minister David Patterson is expected to speak at Parika, East Bank Essequibo, from 09:30h, and Philadelphia New Primary School in Vergenoegen from 13:00h on Sunday.

But when contacted, the

former Minister refused to confirm whether he would be speaking at the scheduled outreaches.

Meanwhile, PNC General Secretary Amna Ally and Executive Members Joseph Harmon, Christopher Jones and Ronald Bulkan are also scheduled to speak at these meetings.

When contacted, General Secretary of the APNU, Amna Ally also took the stance of not confirming or denying the outreach.

“That is the coalition’s business. We have a programme and we will execute that programme. I am not confirming nor denying what you would have heard. Whatever it is, it is the coalition’s business,” Ally said during a telephone conversation with this publication. (G8)

10 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Validity of Recount Order

Court would be supporting illegality if appeal upheld – Jagdeo, Ali submit …case to be heard today

Justice Dawn Gregory

Justice Rishi Persaud

udges sitting at the Court of Appeal will today hear the oral submissions by lawyers as the Misenga Jones v Guyana Elections Commission et al appeal commences.

Jones, with the support of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), is appealing the Chief Justice’s ruling that the figures from the National Recount should be the basis for the declaration of the March 2, 2020 elections.

Appellate Judges, Justices Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud in association with High Court Judge, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry will preside over the case.

Proceedings are expected to commence at 10:00h with the attorneys representing APNU/AFC agent, Misenga Jones making their submissions first.

Jones, through her attorneys, Trinidadian Senior Counsel John Jeremie, APNU/ AFC candidate Roysdale Forde, Keith Scotland, Mayo Robertson and Rondelle Keller – is seeking to have the decision of Chief Justice (ag) George overturned, which was delivered on Monday, in the case seeking to compel the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to uti-

lise the 10 declarations as the basis for announcing the winner of the March 2 elections.

CJ George dismissed Jones’ application for judicial review on the grounds that the issues were res judicata, which means that they have already been ventilated and pronounced upon by a competent court and cannot be relitigated. In total, Jones had sought 28 reliefs from the court, but all, save and except for the issue of jurisdiction, were dismissed.

She had reiterated that Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield is not a lone ranger and is subjected to the direction of the Commission.

Additionally, she expressly stated that the figures from the 33-days Caricom-observed National Recount should form the basis for the declaration of the results.

In the appeal filings, Jones is contending that the Chief Justice erred in law when she dismissed the case.

Jones’ application listed 23 grounds for the appeal and states, among other things, that the CJ erred in law when she held that the issues raised the case were res judicata; when she failed to find that the Chair of GECOM and/or GECOM had acted outside their constitutional and/or statutory power.

J

High Court Judge, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry

the coalition’s number by 19,116 votes and deflated the PPP/C’s by just over 3000.

Jagdeo and Ali’s attorneys submitted that Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield is an officer of GECOM with no constitutional mandate and as such he is subservient to GECOM. They noted that the Commission is also empowered to remove and exercise disciplinary control over him as mandated by the Constitution. The Mendes-led team furthered that there is no provision in the Constitution or any oth-

either to determine the constitutionality of Section 22, or the validity of GECOM’s decision to order a recount, or consequently the validity of the recount which was held.

The National Recount came into effect after an agreement was brokered by then Caricom Chair, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley between caretaker President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. As a consequence of that agreement, GECOM gazetted Order 60 of 2020 (the Recount Order) and made

lief requiring the Mingo declaration to be given effect to, the court would be furthering and facilitating the commission of an unlawful act; the rights of the majority of the electors to representatives of their choice would be infringed; the will of the majority of electors who wished to install the PPP as their Government would be frustrated; and the constitutional right to representative democracy would be undermined,” the lawyers noted in their submission.

The contentions are supported by the fact that Mingo’s

PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo

Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

er law which gives the CEO the power to direct GECOM while specifically alluding to Article 226 (1) which states that GECOM is to remain an independent body and should not to be subject to the direction or control of anyone.

subsequent amendments.

In light of that, the AliJagdeo legal team told the court that until the High Court on an election petition determines otherwise, Section 22 must continue to be treated as valid law in accordance with the presumption of constitutionality; Order 60 must continue to be treated as valid subordinate legislation; and the recount carried out thereunder must continue to be treated as a valid determination of the votes cast at the election.

The PPP/C attorneys noted that Jones is attempting to distinguish the court’s decision in the Moore case and to diminish its binding nature by pointing out that Order 60 was not in existence when Moore was decided and that she was not a party to those proceedings. That contention was rubbished when the lawyers pointed to the laws of res judicata.

It was furthered that, despite the clear and specific instructions of the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, for the CEO to use the recount figures to compile the final report, this has not been done. Instead, Lowenfield has been unilaterally reverting to his own figures inclusive of Mingo’s fraudulent numbers.

Jagdeo and Ali’s lawyers pointed out to the court that Justice George was right in her ruling that the CEO is duty-bound to follow the instructions of the Commission and submit his report in accordance with the results of the recount.

“If, therefore, Mingo’s declaration is to be acted upon and the court accedes to the appellant’s request to grant re-

declarations have been proven fraudulent by the recount numbers and that if GECOM is mandated to use those numbers then it would be acting unlawfully and in violation of the electorate’s constitutional right to vote.

Tampering

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo and Presidential Candidate Dr Irfaan Ali – named respondents in Jones’ appeal, also filed a cross-appeal.

In their submissions to the court, the PPP/C legal team – comprising Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, Devindra Kissoon, Marcia Nadir Sharma, and Clay Hackett – argued that the court would be facilitating an illegality if it were to make any order which effectuates the clearly fraudulent declarations made by District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.

Mingo had tampered with the results of the electoral district to reflect a win by the APNU/AFC coalition. In fact, on March 13, Mingo – in the execution of his statutory functions – declared that the APNU/AFC received 136,057 votes in District Four when in fact the party accumulated just 116,941 votes.

The 33-days-long National Recount of the ballots exposed this clear attempt at altering the will of the electorate when it proved that Mingo inflated

Giving way to illegality

In arguing the point that the issues raised in Jones’ appeal have already been dealt with by both the Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the lawyers reminded that it was the same Appeal Court, in the case of Ulita Moore et al, which ruled that the High Court had no jurisdiction, except on an election petition,

Jurisdiction

Jagdeo and Ali’s argument is that the Court of Appeal does not have the jurisdiction to entertain the appeal and it should be referred to a duly constituted election court.

They noted that the case is about who should hold the presidency and the reins of Government while the High Court, on an election petition, sorts out the disputes as to the validity of votes and the recount.

It is furthered that while the High Court has limited jurisdiction to intervene in an elections matter, that jurisdiction does not exist in this case.

The submissions added that the Constitution has reposed trust and power in GECOM to supervise and bring General Elections to a successful conclusion and it and Parliament have endowed GECOM with ample powers to enable it to achieve that result. The CEO is not entrusted with these powers and must not be allowed to determine the result of the election in defiance of GECOM’s orders.

Embattled CEO Lowenfield indicated that he would not be participating in the proceedings.

The figures from the 33day recount exercise show the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) with a victory having secured 233,336 votes while the APNU/AFC obtained 217,920 votes. (G2)

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

PSC calls on Top Cop to probe threats against GECOM Chair

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

A

s the online abuse and threats against Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh heightened, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) has called on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to step in and take action against the perpetrators.

In a statement on Friday, the PSC said it has observed the increasingly ugly abuse and threats appearing on Facebook directed at the GECOM Chair as the time approaches for the seven-member Elections Commission to meet and finally declare the results of the General and Regional Elections held over four months ago on

March 2.

“These scurrilous and extremely threatening Facebook posts have followed the written directions issued by the Chairman of GECOM to the Chief Elections Officer to submit his Report from the results of the Recount. It is clear, therefore, from where these posts have emanated and that they are a deliberate and criminal attempt to influence the decision of GECOM with regard to the declaration of the results of the elections,” the Private Sector body noted in its missive.

On this note, the PSC called on the Police Commissioner to investigate, pursue and bring an immediate stop to this despicable exploitation of Facebook to carry out criminal acts, which it said clearly amounts to the worst form of cybercrime.

The PSC further noted the condemnation of these attacks by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and called on the other political parties, including the caretaker APNU/AFC, to do the same.

Only on Thursday, the three Opposition Commissioners at GECOM, Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shadick and Robeson Benn, also condemned the scurrilous attacks on the GECOM Chair and called for the perpetrators, including senior members of the coalition, to desist from these vile attacks.

These attacks against Justice Singh started since March as the post-elections events unfolded.

Police Commissioner Leslie James

In fact, back in April, she had reported a death threat on her life to the Police Force and subsequently told reporters that there was a bounty on her head since Friday, April 17, 2020.

More recently, however, the attacks have escalated following her decision to discard the initial declarations of the 10 Returning Officers and use the figures emanating from the National Recount for the final declaration of the elections results.

Only on Monday, 27-yearold Ryan Williams of Silver City, Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), was charged under the Cybercrime Act and placed on $500,000 bail for threat-

ening to kill the GECOM Chair in a Facebook post last week.

The post, which was made under a fake profile, was traced back to the person who made it.

Meanwhile, even more disturbing is a video on social media showing persons conducting a makeshift funeral with a doll which they claim represents the GECOM Chair.

These attacks had prompted United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, to also condemn the acts against Justice Singh.

“I am shocked and appalled at the dangerous statements and actions that I have seen directed at the Chairwoman. Chairwoman Singh is a person of the utmost integrity and a distinguished jurist who has given decades of her life in service to her country. I hope that all Guyanese will speak out on her behalf and allow her to continue her work and bring this electoral process to closure,” Ambassador Lynch had stated.

The GECOM Chair was forced to discard several reports submitted by the CEO, Keith Lowenfield, after he continuously failed to adhere to her directive to use the figures from the recount exercise to compile his report.

In his last report, Lowenfield used the fraudulent figures of embattled Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo, who was found to have heavily inflated votes in favour of the

PSC Chair Gerry Gouveia

APNU/AFC. Justice Singh then set aside the declarations from all the 10 ROs and gave the CEO a final chance to submit a correct report using the recount figures. However, before he could have done so, legal proceedings were filed by APNU/ AFC supporter Misenga Jones, who was seeking to block GECOM from making a declaration based on the National Recount results.

The certified results of the 33day exercise show the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) with a landslide victory, having secured 233,336 votes while the APNU/AFC obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of some 15,416 votes.

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Elderly men die after being in contact with COVID-19 victims – SRDC

…denies reports of positive case in Katuur

T

he South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) on Thursday related that two elderly men from the Potarinao Village in Central Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) died after coming into contact with persons who had tested positive for COVID-19.

The men – aged 68 and 80 – were not tested for the virus at that time. In fact, sources told Guyana Times on Friday that posthumous

testing would not be conducted to determine if they had indeed contracted the virus.

In light of this alarming development, calls were made yet again for health authorities to increase the amount of testing supplies available, to test those with positive symptoms immediately, and to conduct contact tracing.

“We further urge the Regional Task Force to work with the SRDC to closely

monitor the vast open border to prevent further spread of this disease into our communities from Brazil. Anything less threatens serious and irreparable harm to our communities,” the Council responded.

The SRDC also denied allegations that one person tested positive for COVID-19 in Katuur, Region Nine, claiming that the report from the Regional Executive Officer (REO) was false.

REO Carl Parker would

have indicated that a positive case was detected in the South Rupununi village and the man later travelled to Tiger Pond in the South Pakaraimas to evade mandatory isolation.

However, the Council labelled these statements as “premature” and clarified that the first medical team only arrived in the village on Thursday. In fact, it mentioned that the villages are closely monitored.

“The SRDC has been closely monitoring the situation in Potarinao, Shulinab and Sand Creek and their satellites, including Katuur, and the information provided to the news by the Regional Executive Officer does not reflect the true situation on the ground in Potarinao and in Katuur…

For the REO to state that there was a positive case coming from Katuur, South Rupununi and travelling to Tiger Pond, South Pakaraimas, is premature and causing confusion among villagers and the overworked Village Council of Potarinao,” the District Council notified.

The Committee, which oversees 21 Indigenous communities, said it has been in daily contact with the Toshao and other officials

from Potarinao and Satellite villages, and can confirm that no patients in Katuur had even been tested for COVID-19 up to Thursday.

A release issued by the SRDC further stated that several recommendations were made to the Region Nine COVID-19 Task Force for a more effective response but to date “nothing much has been done”.

“At the latest Task Force meeting, the REO recommended that Toshaos now be charged for hiding their villagers who cross into Guyana. Toshaos were told that if case numbers rise in their villages, they can expect little help from the regional authorities. The REO’s baseless statements not only mischaracterise the source of the virus’s spread into our communities but are a direct threat to violate our human rights and to deliberately abandon the

Government’s responsibility to protect the health and welfare of its citizens.”

Further, the Committee added that rather than trying to find “scapegoats to pin blame for the rising case numbers” in the region, collective action is needed to tackle the spread of this dreaded disease. Instead, they have been working alone with little efforts from Government or the Task Force to prevent illegal border crossings.

“Our Toshaos have been overwhelmed in trying to keep their communities safe.

The SRDC and our villages, in particular, Potarinao and Sawariwao, have made regular monitoring trips to the 180 km border, with little support coming from the Task Force or Government.”

Presently, all villages within the District are on lockdown after noticing a rise in cases in Region Nine.

NEWS

13

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Body found in well at Puruni

Police wrap up probe into death of pedal cyclist

Blunt trauma to head to be sent to DPP for advice is cause of death – PME –infile new week A F s new information emerged into to death of a miner whose decomposed body was found floating in a well at Puruni Landing, Mazaruni, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Police are now working on the theory that he might have been murdered.

An autopsy performed on the body of 29-year-old Calvin Hamilton of Aranaputa, Annai, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, revealed that the miner had died as a result of blunt trauma to the head and asphyxiation due to drowning, compounded by compression injuries to the neck.

Following the PME results, the police are now of the opinion that the miner might have been murdered.

However, speaking with Guyana Times, Regional Commander Linden Lord said that investigators can only come to this conclusion when the

Dead: Calvin Hamilton

probe is completed.

“Only the investigation can reveal that. A team of investigators went out into the area to investigate and to ask questions from persons to ask if that was the case. We continued

our investigations after the PM after we saw that he received a lot of injuries…”, he explained.

It was reported that on the day in question, Hamilton, who was employed by the Hard Rock Mining Company in the Puruni Backdam, Mazaruni area, had left the site at around 16:00h and went to the Puruni Landing and was not seen since by his employer or colleagues.

However, at about 17:30h on the same day, a 40-year-old businessman told Police that he saw the miner imbibing alcohol at his bar, and left sometime after.

The businessman further related that two days later, he instructed one of his workers to pump water from his well and it was then Hamilton’s body was discovered.

Ranks were summoned to the scene, and the partially decomposed body was pulled from the well and an investigation was launched.

Kuru Kururu driver charged for causing death by dangerous driving

A

25-year-old Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway resident was on Thursday slapped with a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Delwyn Moore appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecution is contend-

ing that on July 19, 2020, at Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway, he drove motor car PPP 8909 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Glemina Adrian.

Reports are that Moore was proceeding south along the Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway, while Adrian was walking on the northern side of the road when

Moore, reportedly at a fast rate of speed, overtook another car and ended up in the path of Adrian, pitching her some away.

She was picked up by public-spirited citizens and rushed to the Diamond Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Magistrate Latchman released Moore on $100,000 bail and the case will continue on August 8, 2020. (G1)

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

our days after a pedal cyclist was struck down and killed at Melanie on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), Police are combing through bits of information to complete their investigations so that the file can be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

In a brief interview with Guyana Times on Friday, Regional Commander Royston Junor Andries confirmed that an autopsy that was conducted on the man’s remains on Friday proved that he died from injuries consistent with a vehicular accident.

However, the pedal cyclist has been identified as 53-yearold Wayne James, a grass cutter of Cinema Road, Melanie, ECD. According to the police, his daughter visited the Vigilance Police Station, ECD, and confirmed the now dead man’s identity. This was done after she would have visited the funeral home to ascertain if the body was that of her father.

It was reported that the accident occurred on Tuesday and involved a motor car bearing registration number PMM 8751 driven by a 22-year-old resident of Haslington, ECD. The driver reportedly told the police that on the day in question, at about 18:50h,

Dead: Wayne James

he was proceeding along the Melanie Public Road when he noticed the pedal cyclist proceeding in the opposite direction.

He further stated that the now dead man “suddenly swerved” in an attempt to get to the other side of the road but ended up in his path.

The young driver related that he applied brake but the front right side of the car collided with the pedal cyclist. As a result, he fell onto the road’s surface and receiving several injuries about his body and head.

According to Police, he was picked up by the driver in an unconscious condition and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice. They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

14 NEWS Guyana records 20th COVID-19 death – Deputy CMO SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…family refutes Public Health Ministry info

T

he conclusion that 56-year-old Roger Martindale is Guyana’s 20th death from the novel coronavirus brought out a series of emotions from his close family members on Friday, who refuted the Public Health Ministry information.

Martindale, who is a resident of Bartica in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), died on Tuesday but his death was announced three days later by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle during the coronavirus briefing.

When contacted, the man’s family was in a state of emotional turmoil as he was just laid to rest a few hours prior to the Ministry making the announcement.

The situation was compounded with the fact that they vehemently disagree with the conclusion that he died from COVID-19.

His sister, Joanne

“If my brother had corona, why they allow us to bring him home?” – Joanne Martindale Martindale, was deeply distraught at the series of events, and recalled her brother’s situation from the inception. She said that he was sick for the past four months and upon seeking treatment at the Bartica Hospital, doctors diagnosed him with Tuberculosis (TB) after conducting tests.

“They didn’t keep him in the hospital because of the corona(virus). They said they will treat him at home and we had to separate him from people,” the woman explained.

She related that the family rented a house in front of the yard, where the man stayed, separately from the family. On Fridays, relatives would uplift his medications at the hospital to treat the lung condition. Last week, an X-ray showed that the man’s lungs were deteriorating rapidly, and would affect the functioning of other organs.

The sister added that last Sunday, the man’s condition worsened and he was rushed to the medical facility. Martindale was complaining that he could not breathe and another X-ray was done, showing that his lungs were completely destroyed.

The man was admitted at the facility and his family was not allowed to see him. His sister questioned why the COVID-19 test was not conducted when he was alive among oth-

Police end search for toddler who fell into Kukui River

P

olice in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) have given up on the search for a two-year-old girl who fell into the Kukui River in Upper Mazaruni about a month ago.

This was confirmed

by Regional Commander Linden Lord, in a short interview with this publication on Friday. According to the Commander, after a continuous search for the child proved futile, it is believed by ranks that the child’s body might have floated and drifted “inland” and would

have decomposed.

This was also agreed upon by her relatives.

“The river was so flooded, and after three days, the body would have emerged from the water…the body must have floated and gone into inland and dissolved.

That is about a foot and a half in length body… it can float very far and decompose without anybody noticing; compared to a body of an adult…” he said.

On June 23, two-year-old Nandra Alban of Phillipai Village, Upper Mazaruni

River, along with her parents and five others, were paddling in a canoe when the boat hit something and toppled, tossing them into the river.

After the canoe capsized, everyone in the boat “scrambled” to reach the shore.

However, upon checking, the occupants of the boat realised that Nandra was missing.

The child’s father told Police that he, along with other relatives, tried to find the child, but their efforts were futile. (G9)

Dead: Roger Martindale

er burning queries which were raised.

“They said the two lungs gone and he don’t have long more to live. He spend two days at Bartica Hospital. Why didn’t they take this coronavirus test?” she questioned.

Joanne said throughout his time in the hospital, her brother was placed in the wing where COVID-19 patients are being treated.

On Tuesday, Martindale’s brother visited the hospital and handed some tea to the security guard for the unwell man. However, he then learnt that his brother died and was placed in

the mortuary.

The heartbroken woman shared, “Nobody at the hospital can’t even come or call we on the phone.

We leave a number and said anything happen to we brother, let them call…

When my brother tea carry and give the guard, the guard didn’t see Roger Martindale. When they find out, he’s in the mortuary.”

Up until Friday evening, no official from the Public Health Ministry reached out to the family to inform that Martindale is the latest COVID-19 death. They remain dismayed and furious at the way in which this situation was handled.

Moreover, questions were raised as to why they were allowed to have a normal funeral, if he was indeed positive for the virus. Secondly, persons who were in contact with the deceased were not placed in quarantine.

“If my brother had corona, why they allow us to bring him home?... Up to now, nobody has the manners to call and tell us even that our brother dead. Not a soul didn’t call we. We

are human beings,” she expressed.

This incident has left a dent in the lives of his siblings and mother, who are demanding answers from officials. The man is considered the latest death from the virus.

Guyana’s first fatality was recorded on March 11 but the relatives of recent deaths have outspokenly shared their concerns. Some even alleged that their family members contracted the virus from cross-contamination, after visiting the respective hospitals for other ailments.

Meanwhile, within one day, there was one new case of the virus locally, which raised the total statistics to 352.

Statistics from the Public Health Ministry show that the number of active cases in institutional isolation is 154 – a reduction of two cases.

Meanwhile, 33 persons are in institutional quarantine and two new persons were admitted to the COVID Intensive Care Unit, creating a total of four patients. To date, 178 persons have recovered.

(G12)

2-year-old among 2 retested positive with COVID-19 at Bartica

T

wo persons, including a two-year-old child, have retested positive with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at Bartica, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). The two persons are relatives of the country’s 14th COVID-19 death, 34-year-old Abdool Khan – a father of three who died

at the Georgetown Public Hospital on July 2.

On Friday, the Regional Health Emergency Committee (RHEC) headed by Regional Executive Officer (REO), Kerwin Ward, said that public sensitisation, enforcement of the COVID-19 prevention strategies and the preparation of

facilities have been undertaken.

The Committee stated that some projects that were undertaken due to COVID-19 were sensitisation to the dangers of COVID-19.

Guyana’s latest COVID-19 death is 56-yearold Roger Martindale of Bartica. (G1)

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Bar Association condemns Demerara Harbour Bridge to be closed for 6 hours tonight attacks on COA judge ...says “stand up for something or fall for anything” T

T

he Bar Council of the Guyana Bar Association has again condemned the attacks on members of the Judiciary and more so this time a sitting Judge in the Court of Appeal.

In a strongly-worded statement on Friday evening, the Bar Association said that over the past four months, Judges presiding over matters touching and concerning the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections have been subjected to distasteful unrelenting personal and other attacks which not only bring them into odium but also serve the undesired result of undermining public confidence in our judicial system.

“The Bar Association once again condemns the recent inflammatory, malicious and racially charged statements, made over the past two days,” the statement said, adding that it denounces and objects to any member of the Judiciary being subjected to scurrilous, disrespectful, racial and indecent attacks.

According to the Association, all such actions which interfere with the due course of any judicial proceedings or obstruct the administration of justice in any other manner must be condemned.

While the Judiciary is not immune from public expressions of concern and criticism, it added, such right is not unfettered and must be exercised within the ambit of the law and governing legal principles; the breach of which could result in legal proceedings being instituted against such perpetrator(s) and where applicable punishable by imprisonment.

“We wish to urge, advise and warn all persons to be cautious, exercise prudence, pragmatism and show due respect for the Judiciary when making public statements thereon. We also call on all political leaders to assuage and guide their supporters and members of the public in responsible appropriate conduct. The resounding silence in the face of these attacks from those who from time to time have asserted a leadership position in the statutory structure of our legal profession, is disappointing and regrettable.”

“Stand up for something or fall for anything”, the Bar Association said, pointing that “we must all stand together in the face of the current attacks against a sitting Judge in a pending matter in the Court of

President of the Guyana Bar Association, Teni Housty

Appeal of Guyana which have plunged our society further into unimaginable lows.”

Only last the Association condemned attacks through various mediums, on the lawyers who are representing parties in the legal proceedings in the court regarding the ongoing electoral impasse.

Last Friday, the Bar Council particularly mentioned the “vilest personal attacks” against former Solicitor General of Guyana, Attorney-atLaw Kim Kyte-Thomas, who is representing the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, in the matter filed

by APNU/AFC supporter, Misegna Jones, who is seeking to block GECOM from making a declaration of the March 2 elections results based on the figures from the National Recount.

“The embarrassingly protracted election process has resulted in a heightened political atmosphere which has seen a pattern in personal attacks being levied against persons in the exercise of their profession and duties. Such attacks

are wholly unacceptable, inappropriate and must be denounced,” it had contended.

The Bar Council went on to note that lawyers are, by statute, officers of the court and appear for their clients in the discharge of their professional duty, under oath, without fear or favour.

On Caricom Day, the Bar Association had cause to condemn public utterances domestically, regionally and internationally by various APNU/AFC stakeholders that were targeted against the Caribbean Court of Justice, stemming from legal proceedings with regards to the country’s still to be concluded elections.

The statement from the legal fraternity noted that “the course of justice and the administration of justice in legal proceedings are critical pillars on which the rule of law rests; The pillars of justice are intended to stand robustly after many of us are no longer of this earth, let not our conduct today cause harm to the administration of justice that it will take generations to remedy.”

he management of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation has announced that the bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic for a period of six hours tonight from 22:00h (10 pm) to Sunday, at 04:00h (4 am). According to the notice, this is to facilitate scheduled maintenance works.

An average of 10,000 vehicles traverse the crossing daily which was initially designed to last for 20 years.

However, the bridge has outlasted its lifespan by more than 20 years. Since 2013, the then Government had expressed the intention to construct a new Demerara River crossing as was stated during the National Budget presentation. According to that proposal, that bridge would have had four lanes, a pedestrian walkway along with a bicycle lane.

Additionally, it was proposed to have navigational aids to avoid marine traffic from colliding with the structure. However, following a change of Government in 2015, the project descended into limbo. The APNU/ AFC firstly downscaled the design which saw a proposal for the bridge to be three lanes with a moveable section for marine traffic.

However, the contract for the feasibility study was sole-sourced by the APNU/ AFC Government which led to much controversy.

This led to a probe into the awarding of the $148 million contract to Dutch company LievenseCSO. The probe found that several companies had bid for the project to do the feasibility study and design for the new Demerara River bridge and 12 companies had been shortlisted. The report had added that only two of the 12 companies had made proposals. As such, the bidding process was annulled.

It added that on November 12, 2016, the Tender

Administration Board approved the move for the project to be re-tendered. The project was not re-tendered; instead, Dutch company LievenseCSO was engaged by the Public Infrastructure Ministry to do the work. The report also noted that the bid from LievenseCSO was “unsolicited”, but APNU/AFC Minister David Patterson took the company’s proposal to Cabinet for approval, and Cabinet granted its approval for the company to be engaged. The report stated that monies to be spent on the project were taken from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (Asphalt Plant Accounts).

GWI warns against illegal connections

T

he Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has warned against persons tampering with its pipelines.

According to a Department of Public Information report, Georgetown Regional Manager (ag) Eson Pearson said this illegal practice can cause immense health issues and other serious consequenc-

es.

“Sometimes persons install illegal connections which do not have the requisite fittings, as such the water becomes contaminated. This is a challenge we face every day,” Pearson said during a local radio programme.

He asserted that GWI aims to ensure that every cus-

tomer is satisfied with the quality and quantity of water supplied.

Pearson stressed the importance of persons reporting any breakages in pipelines when observed; especially in areas where groundworks are being carried out by contractors.

TURN TO PAGE 16

16 NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Venezuelan smugglers boast US now says no new foreign students for all-online classes of 'safe passage' to T&T

V

Transportation. enezuelans who In a third flyer, postwant to travel ed on Thursday, the to Trinidad and Express of the Sea offers Tobago, don’t have a to take Venezuelans from passport but can pay beValencia in Venezuela to tween US$250 and $300 Trinidad. are in luck.

The flyers came to For this small fee, light after police arrestpeople-smugglers are ed 33 Venezuelans this guaranteeing to transweek for illegally enterport them “up to your ing the country. front door” and are sugOn Wednesday, 33 gesting that they don’t Venezuelans were depay more than US$250. tained by South-Western Newsday found one and Tobago Division poFacebook page offering lice. the package deal unIn Erin, the Southder the title Trinidad Western Task Force Tucupita. A TT cell conwas tipped off and went tact number is attached to the flyer entitled One of the flyers advertising the illegal to Ayres Road, Los Iros “Servicio de viajes” (trav- travel services. This one was posted on beach, where they arThursday rested 15 people hidel service). ing in the bushes after Another advertiseAnother post promises they were seen disembarkment was posted on the to get legitimate passports, ing from a vessel. They were Facebook page Hermanos extensions of passports and taken to the Siparia Health Venezolanos viajando a international driver’s perfacility to be medically exTrinidad (Venezuelan brothmits from two of Venezuela’s amined and later taken to ers travelling to Trinidad). state departments, SAIME the Chaguaramas Heliport, The poster, placed by an acand INTT. SAIME stands from where they were to count with the name Jose for Servicio Administrativo be transported for a 14-day Miguel Bolivar, says the de Identificación, Migración quarantine period. company can guarantee y Extranjería translated to In the second arrests, safe passage to the front Administrative Service of police from Crown Point door in TT. The post reads Identification, Migration Police Station and immigra“Gentlemen actv travel actv and Immigration. INTT tion officers went to guestdeparture from Tucupita to stands for Instituto Nacional houses at Gaskin Bay Road, Trinidad without problem de Transporte Terrestre: Bon Accord and at Alfred 100% safe with your taxi to National Institute of Land Crescent, Bon Accord, and your destination.” held 18 Venezuelans. The group is being held at the Crown Point Police Station pending further enquiries.

Newsday sent a flyer to Minister of National Security Stuart Young asking if he was aware of the ad and what was being done to address this situation.

Young has not responded to the message. (T&T Newsday)

The original policy change of revoking the visas of foreign students whose classes will move online in the autumn was taken to court by top universities, including Harvard (pictured) and MIT, teachers unions and at least 18 States

T

he United States announced it will not take in any new foreign students seeking online-only study, after rescinding a hotly contested order to expel those already there and preparing for that because of the pandemic.

The policy change was announced in a statement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

President Donald Trump has made a tough line on immigration a cornerstone of his message and has suspended several kinds of visas for foreigners during the coronavirus crisis.

The original policy change of revoking the visas of foreign students whose classes will move on-

line in the autumn was taken to court by top universities including Harvard and MIT, teachers’ unions and at least 18 states. And on July 14 the administration reversed course and rescinded the decision. That measure had been seen as a move

by Trump to put pressure on educational institutions that are adopting a cautious approach to reopening amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump is eager for schools at all levels to reopen with in-person classes as a sign of a return to normality as he fights an uphill battle for re-election in November. He is pushing for this even though the virus is out of control in some

states, with the US death toll a world-high of more than 144,000.

His administration is leaving it largely up to states themselves to figure out how to open schools safely.

There were more than one million international students in the US for the 2018-19 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education.

Many schools depend heavily on the tuition paid by those students.

Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester but Harvard has said all its classes for the 2020-21 academic year will be conducted online, "with rare exceptions". (AFP)

GWI warns against ...

“These operations disrupt the service of residents and the community and also contaminate the water. We need to get to these locations as early as

FROM PAGE 15

possible and address these situations immediately,” he is quoted as saying by DPI. Meanwhile, Revenue Manager (ag), Tomesia

Dundas spoke of the challenges field workers face while performing their daily duties.

Dundas noted that these issues can be addressed but the cooperation of residents is essential in this effort. For example, she noted that residents can keep their pets locked up when they observe meter readers in their communities.

Also, if a customer is aware that a meter reader visited while they are away, a photograph of the meter can be sent to GWI’s WhatsApp numbers 592623-2995 or 592-620-1667 and a representative will respond.

Dundas also reminded that to make the process hassle-free for all customers, especially amidst COVID-19, GWI is also delivering monthly bills electronically. Customers interested in utilising the electronic service can visit www.gwiguyana.gy.com.

17 Singapore man admits to being Chinese spy in US NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

A

Singaporean man has pleaded guilty in the US to working as an agent of China, the latest incident in a growing standoff between Washington and Beijing.

Jun Wei Yeo was charged with using his political consultancy in America as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence, US officials say.

Separately, the US said a Chinese researcher accused of hiding her ties to China's military was detained.

China earlier ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu.

The move to shut down the diplomatic mission in the south-western city was in response to the US closing China's consulate in Houston.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision was taken because China was "stealing" intellectual property.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded by saying that the US move was based on "a hodgepodge of anti-Chi-

US President Donald Trump

nese lies".

Tensions have been rising between the two nuclear powers over several key issues. President Donald Trump's administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as China's imposition of a controversial new security law in Hong Kong.

Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, on Friday pleaded guilty in a federal court to working as an illegal agent of the Chinese government in 2015-19, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

He was earlier charged

Chinese President Xi Jinping

with using his political consultancy in the country as a front to collect valuable, non-public information for Chinese intelligence.

In his guilty plea, he admitted to scouting for Americans with high-level security clearance and getting them to write reports for fake clients.

Yeo was arrested as he flew in to the US in 2019.

The researcher was named by US officials as Juan Tang, aged 37.

She was among four Chinese nationals charged earlier this week with visa fraud for allegedly lying about serving in China's

Christopher Columbus statues removed in Chicago

Christopher Columbus statute being removed. It comes a week after protesters attempted to topple the statue

T

wo statues of C h r i s t o p h e r Columbus have been temporarily removed in Chicago.

It comes a week after protesters attempted to topple a statue of the Italian explorer in the city.

Although temporary, they are the latest monuments to be removed amid an ongoing backlash against perceived symbols of racial bias and imperialism in the US. The movement has been sparked by the death in

police custody of African American George Floyd.

His death in Minneapolis has led to protests in the US and internationally against police brutality and racial inequality.

The office of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement that the Columbus statues - in Grant Park and Arrigo Park had been “temporarily removed... until further notice” on her orders.

The decision came after protesters clashed with police as they attempted top-

ple the statue of the explorer in Grant Park last week.

“It feels great seeing the statue come down,” resident Brenda Armenta told the AFP news agency while watching the removal of the Grant Park monument on Friday morning.

There had been heated confrontations between protesters and supporters of the statue hours before.

In June a 3m (10ft) bronze statue of Columbus was toppled in Saint Paul, Minnesota, while another in Boston, which stands on a plinth at the heart of town, was beheaded.

Many people in the US celebrate the memory of the explorer, who in many textbooks is credited with discovering “the New World” in the 15th Century.

But Native American activists and others have long objected to honouring Columbus, saying his expeditions led to the colonisation and genocide of their ancestors. (BBC)

People's Liberations Army.

Juan Tang was the last of the four to be detained in California, after the US had accused the Chinese consulate in San Francisco of harbouring her.

It was not immediately clear how she was arrested.

FBI agents have found pictures of Juan Tang dressed in military uniform and reviewed articles in China identifying her military affiliation, the Associated Press reports.

It is quoting the University of California Davis as saying that she left her job as a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology in June.

There are a number of factors in play. US officials have blamed China for the global spread of Covid-19.

More specifically, President Donald Trump has alleged, without evidence, that the virus originated from

a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan.

And, in unsubstantiated remarks, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in March that the US military might have brought the virus to Wuhan.

The US and China have also been locked in a tariff war since 2018.

Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft, but in Beijing there is a perception that the US is trying to curb its rise as a global economic power.

The US has also imposed sanctions on Chinese politicians who it says are responsible for human rights violations against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

China is accused of mass detentions, religious persecution and forced sterilisation of Uighurs and others.

Beijing denies the allegations and has accused the US of "gross interference" in

its domestic affairs.

China's imposition of a sweeping security law there is also a source of tension in relations with the US and the UK, which administered the territory until 1997.

In response, the US last week revoked Hong Kong's special trading status, which allowed it to avoid tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by the US. The US and UK see the security law as a threat to the freedoms Hong Kong has enjoyed under a 1984 agreement between China and the UK - before sovereignty reverted to Beijing.

The UK has angered China by outlining a route to UK citizenship for nearly three million Hong Kong residents.

China responded by threatening to stop recognising a type of British passport - BNO - held by many of those living in Hong Kong.

(BBC)

Parents charged with murder after cops find missing toddler’s ‘burnt’ remains in fire pit

T

he parents of a 2-year-old boy who was reported missing in California last week were charged with murder Friday after a cadaver dog found his “burned” remains in a fire pit, police said.

Thaddeus Sran, who had special needs and was non-verbal, was found dead Thursday in a farmland area near the city of Madera, where he lived with three siblings and his parents, authorities said.

The heartbreaking discovery came just a day after police said Briseida and Sukhjinder Sran stopped cooperating with the investigation. The couple had reported their child missing on July 15, telling authorities he vanished after they put him to bed around 10 p.m. the night before, according to police.

The boy’s disappearance prompted an Amber Alert and a massive search for over a week.

Thaddeus, who was born prematurely, required a feeding tube to eat and had just learned to walk, though he would mostly

Thaddeus Sran was reported missing on July 15 (Madera Police Department)

crawl to get around, local news outlets reported.

A possible motive for the crime is still unknown.

Madera Police Chief Dino Lawson described the place where the boy was found as some sort of “agricultural fire pit.” He said more details would be released once an autopsy has been completed.

Bodies of missing mom, 2 young daughters found in Texas parking lot » “Our case is continuing,” he told reporters at a news conference Friday.

“But as of right now, there’s some justice for little Thaddeus.”

The boy’s brother and two sisters were turned over to the state’s Child Protective Services and are “doing fine,” Lawson said.

Thaddeus’ mother has previously been investigated over the death of another child, an infant daughter who died in 2015, according to The Fresno Bee. The woman’s attorney told the paper she has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.

(NY Daily News)

US says Houston consulate one of ‘worst’ for Chinese espionage

C

hina’s Houston consulate, which is due to be closed on Friday, has been one of the worst offenders in terms of Chinese espionage in the United States and its actions went well over the line of what was acceptable, senior US officials said on Friday.

The US ordered the consulate closed this week, leading China to retal-

iate on Friday by telling Washington to shut its consulate in the city of Chengdu, as relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorate.

In a briefing for journalists, a senior State Department official linked espionage activity at the Houston consulate to China’s pursuit of research into a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

The official said China had been very clear about its intent to be first to the market with a coronavirus vaccine.

“The medical connections here aren’t lost on me and ... the medical connection in Houston is also pretty specific,” the official said. While the official gave no details of what aspects of vaccine research may have been targeted or where, Texas

is home to the Galveston National Laboratory, an anchor lab for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease Biodefense Laboratories Network, which supports government-funded research.

The lab is located on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch, where researchers have been conducting COVID-19

vaccine research. University officials declined to comment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has described the US allegations as “malicious slander” and the consulate closure as “unreasonable”.

A senior US Justice Department official said it was accepted that consulates of all countries were bases of operations for for-

eign intelligence services.

“It’s understood that there will be some activity here by those services,” he said. But, he added, “The sum total of the Houston consulate’s activities went well over the line of what we’re willing to accept.”

“At some point, you say, ‘enough is enough’ and you decide which are one of the worst offenders,” he said.

(Al Jazeera)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

Regional

Chilean Health Minister “No coffins or oxygen”: Bolivia sets gradual lifting of struggling amid coronavirus surge Santiago lockdown

A patient infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) receives care inside an Intensive Care Unit of the Posta Central hospital in Santiago, Chile, June 9, 2020. Picture taken June 9, 2020. The sign reads ‘COVID-19 Confirmed’

C

oronavirus lockdowns for parts of the Chilean capital Santiago will be gradually lifted from Tuesday, July 28, Health Minister Enrique Paris said on Friday.

Residents in the less populous and wealthier eastern suburbs of the capital will be allowed to gather in small groups and leave their homes without the police permission previously required during weekdays

and outside nighttime curfew hours, he said.

Nationwide, the number of cases and hospitalisations have continued to fall over successive days, health authorities said. On Friday, they confirmed 341,304 cases and 8914 deaths. Chile is at present ranked eighth in the world for its coronavirus caseload, according to a Reuters tally.

The Chilean capital has been covered by one of the longest and strictest lock-

downs in the world, with citizens banned from leaving their homes unless to run essential errands twice a week with a special police permit.

In mid-April, President Sebastian Pinera referenced a “new normal” and a plan to return Chileans to work and schools. But in May the virus extended around the country and from wealthier areas of Santiago, home to a third of Chile`s population, to poorer and more crowded communities.

Case numbers surged to several thousand each day and a general lockdown was announced for Santiago and swathes of the country.

Chile’s Budget Office has predicted the economy will shrink 6.5 per cent in 2020.

Paris said the move towards reopening could be reversed in the event of an uptick in test positivity and contagion rates and hospital admissions. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexico City Mayor warns of potential coronavirus rebound as hospitalisations rise

T

he Mayor of Mexico City warned on Friday of a possible resurgence of coronavirus cases in the sprawling capital in the coming months, noting that hospitalisations have been on the rise in recent days.

Mexico City and its surrounding areas, home to more than 20 million people, have been the epicentre of the country’s pandemic after infections were first detected in late February.

Cases began to level off in mid-June, but authorities now fear that downward trend could reverse.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told a press conference that in the last five days hospitalisations had increased. At this rate, she cautioned, hospitalisa-

tion levels by October could exceed those registered in June, at the height of the pandemic.

“It is important to recognise that if we do not change the trend, there could be exponential growth” in cases, she said.

Mexico City’s Government began relaxing measures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus on June 15, leading to the reopening of the dense and bustling historical centre, along with shopping centres and restaurants. In addition, thousands of factory workers have returned to their jobs.

Mexico on Thursday reported 8438 new cases of coronavirus, a record single-day increase, bring-

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum

ing the total number of infections to 370,712. The country, which has the fourth-highest death toll of any country, has registered 41,908 overall fatalities.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil’s House Speaker says not the right time to handle impeachment requests against Bolsonaro

B

razil’s Lower House Speaker, Rodrigo Maia, said on Friday that now was not the time to handle an impeachment process against President Jair Bolsonaro, adding he would only accept such a request if he was sure a crime

had been committed and after the coronavirus pandemic was over.

In an interview to Radio Eldorado, Maia said an impeachment would face resistance inside the Congress, and in the country too. “I don’t see a room for this nor

conditions to accept it,” he said.

So far, 48 impeachment requests have been filed against Bolsonaro in the Lower House and it is up to Maia to decide whether to accept any of them. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T

he rapid spread of the new coronavirus in Bolivia is overwhelming the country’s hospitals and cemeteries, as the number of confirmed cases has surpassed 65,000.

Bolivia’s Health Ministry reported 1117 new infections on Thursday and 79 additional virus-related deaths, taking the Latin American nation’s toll to 2400 - although the real numbers are believed to be much higher.

Earlier this week, more than 400 bodies were recovered from streets, vehicles and homes of some of the country’s biggest cities by the police, with 85 per cent of the victims believed to

have died from COVID-19.

The situation has been straining resources in the administrative capital, La Paz, the country’s biggest city, Santa Cruz, as well as Cochabamba, where almost 200 bodies of suspected coronavirus patients were collected in five days.

“In the last few weeks, things have collapsed,” Yamil Zavaleta, a funeral services provider, told Al Jazeera.

“We don’t have coffins and the only help we’re getting is with cremations.

Families don’t want to deal with the fact that this has exploded. We’re doing what we can.”

With hospitals running

out of oxygen supplies, relatives of patients were told to make their own arrangements.

In La Paz, a patient’s relative told Al Jazeera her 56-year-old father-in-law died in a car awaiting treatment.

“We were at another hospital and he turned blue and started throwing up,” Silvia said.

“We asked a nurse to check him out and pay attention to us. Then we came here with him in the car.

Nobody is allowing us inside. He just died he died in the car. He was a healthy man, he was sporty and now he is dead.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Report: 17,136 women trafficked from Venezuela in a year

A

report conducted by human trafficking researcher Dr Justine Pierre suggests as many as 17,136 women from five regions in Venezuela went missing and were possibly trafficked in 2019 and may have been victims of an elaborate ring. Hundreds of them ended up in Trinidad and Tobago.

In an interview with Guardian Media, Pierre said boat operators who bring the women to T&T keep excellent records and the statistics were also compiled based on interviews with relatives of missing persons, victims, traffickers and data from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística in Venezuela.

Calling for the exposure of traffickers and public awareness to end the scourge, Pierre said his research showed that the epicentres of human trafficking in the region were Venezuela, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and T&T. Because of its socio-eco-

Southern Division Task Force’s PC Baker, left, and PC Lancaster pick up three undocumented Venezuelans who were walking at Cuchawan Trace in Debe earlier this year

nomic crisis, Venezuela has emerged as the greatest supplier of trafficking victims to T&T, Canada and the United States, Pierre added.

“Interviews conducted with traffickers revealed that the local population in Trinidad seemed to prefer women from Venezuela who were younger and were of a lighter complexion. These women attracted a higher premium and financial return. Our research showed

that many women are sold as sex slaves, first, to criminal elements in T&T, due to the high demand, and then to criminal elements in other countries,” Pierre said.

In February, a police officer was also among three held for trafficking and a police source said more than two dozen officers are now being investigated for links with the trafficking trade.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Some schools are just day-care centres, charges PM

C

harging that some schools are only playing the role of daycare centres, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has mandated a 14-member Education Transformation Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the public education system.

Holness, who served as Minister of Education in 2007, made the comment during the virtual launch of the commission Wednesday, in light of research done by the World Bank.

“The new World Bank Human Capital Index ranks each country in terms of pro-

ductivity of the next generation of workers, and identifies Jamaica as among the countries that have made significant human capital gains. Despite the progress, however, important gaps remain. The World Bank study points out that children born in Jamaica today will be only 54 per cent as productive when they grow up as [compared to where] they could be if they enjoy complete education and good health,” the Prime Minister said.

He continued: “A child who starts school at age four can expect to complete approximately 12 years

of school, but in terms of learning, only seven years — which means in terms of actual learning impact, approximately five of 12 years of school are wasted. I spent some of my years as Minister of Education and so I know the system well, and some schools are just playing the role of day-care centre – no education is taking place.”

Holness further noted that the country’s “problem in education is not as a result of inadequate spending, [but that] we are not getting the impact based on what we spend”. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

19

Around the World Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul museum welcomes Muslim worshippers

C

rowds gathered in Istanbul as the historic Hagia Sophia site opened for Friday prayers for the first time since Turkish authorities ruled it could be converted into a mosque.

The 1500-year-old Unesco World Heritage site became a museum in 1934.

The decision to turn it back into a mosque was criticised by religious and political leaders worldwide.

But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded quickly to the ruling, vowing that the world-famous site would be ready for Friday prayers from July 24, and he was seen joining worshippers at around midday (09:00 GMT).

About 1000 people were allowed in through security checkpoints, while others

Turkey's President joined several senior Ministers for the start of the ceremony on Friday

laid out prayer mats outside.

An opening ceremony was followed by a formal prayer service and proceedings were relayed outside on a big screen.

Four muezzin recited the call to prayer from each of the four minarets.

Hagia Sophia was built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and first converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest nine centuries later.

While there was considerable excitement as crowds headed to the Unesco site, not everyone was happy. The secular opposition party that runs Istanbul has described the move to turn it back into a mosque after 86 years as political rather than religious.

In neighbouring Greece, which was marking the anniversary of the restoration of democracy in 1974, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis conveyed a message of sorrow to millions of Greek Orthodox Christians. Hagia Sophia's change of status by Turkey was not a show of power, but evidence of weakness, he declared. (Excerpt from BBC News)

“Flagrant violation”: China orders US Chengdu Iran protests US jet consulate shut; protesters approach at UN jeer Houston closure

C

hina on Friday ordered the United States to close its consulate in Chengdu in response to a US order for China to shut its Houston consulate, where staff packed up belongings watched by jeering protesters amid a sharp deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies.

The order to close the consulate in Chengdu, a city in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, continued Beijing’s recent practice of like-for-like responses to Washington’s actions.

Beijing had threatened retaliation after the Trump Administration this week gave it 72 hours - until 4 pm on Friday - to vacate its consulate in the Texas city, and had urged the United States to reconsider.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday the consulate had been “a hub of spying and intellectual property theft.” Washington and its allies must use “more creative and assertive ways” to press the Chinese Communist Party to change its ways, he said.

About 100 Chinese activists gathered at the consulate on Friday, shouting slogans

Iranian news agency IRNA said the Mahan Air pilot made contact on the radio with two US fighter planes before the aircraft landed safely in the Lebanese capital [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]

I

A plainclothes police officer gestures as he approaches the photographer taking pictures of the US Consulate General in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China July 24, 2020

denouncing communism and heckling consulate staff.

The consulate, one side of which was adorned with large red Chinese lanterns, was closed. People seeking visa applications were turned away, a guard said.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated sharply this year over issues ranging from trade and technology to the coronavirus pandemic, China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

ran has protested the "flagrant violation" of international law to the United Nations after it said United States fighter jets sparked panic on an Iranian passenger plane over Syria.

Iran's state-run television broadcast footage of Thursday's incident with passengers screaming as the pilot of a Mahan Air plane on a flight from Tehran to Beirut changed altitude to avoid collision with a US fighter jet.

A passenger with blood running down his forehead and another who had fallen to the floor were seen in the video, and one jet could be seen through the window in the video.

Iran's official news agency IRNA said a protest letter would be submitted to the UN Security Council (UNSC) and Secretary General over "the threat

posed to the Mahan Air passenger plane".

The US military said an "F-15 on a routine air mission ... conducted a standard visual inspection of a Mahan Air passenger airliner at a safe distance of approximately 1000 metres (yards)".

The IRNA said the Mahan Air pilot made contact on the radio with two US fighter planes, before the aircraft landed safely in the Lebanese capital.

Iranian television called the incident "provocative and dangerous".

The incident comes amid tensions between Tehran and Washington, with ties deteriorating since 2018 when US President Donald Trump exited Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that have battered Iran's economy. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil up on strong economic data; US-China tensions cap gains

O

il prices rose on Friday, lifted by some supportive economic data, but tensions between the United States and China limited gains.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose 3 cents to settle at US$43.34 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures rose 22 cents to settle at US$41.29 a barrel.

For the week, Brent rose 0.5 per cent, while US crude rose 1.7 per cent.

Ahead of the weekend, market participants had their eye on Tropical Storm Hanna, forecast to cross to Baffin Bay, 46 miles (74 km) south of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday afternoon or evening.

So far, energy companies said there have been no evacuations of workers or shutdowns of production from offshore platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Lifting market sentiment, Euro zone business activity grew in July for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit, according to IHS Markit’s flash Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The index is seen as a good indicator of the bloc’s economic health.

“The economic data in Europe was much better than anticipated, which would suggest that demand destruction in recent months because of COVID-19 may not have been as bad as people thought,” said Phil Flynn, Senior Analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

Meanwhile, US business activity increased to a six-month high in July. US companies, however, reported a drop in new orders as new COVID-19 cases spiked.

The resurgent pandemic has darkened the US economic outlook. Some states have reinstated restrictions, which should reduce fuel consumption.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits hit 1.416 million last week, unexpectedly rising for the first time in nearly four months.

Oil prices could see a near-term correction if a recovery in fuel demand slows further, especially in the United States, Barclays Commodities Research said.

Still, the bank lowered its oil market surplus forecast for 2020 to an average of 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from 3.5 million bpd previously.

The US oil and gas rig count, a indicator of future output, fell by two to an all-time low of 251 in the week to July 24, according to data from energy services firm Baker Hughes Co. However, energy firms added one oil rig in the first weekly increase since March.

Weighing on prices, China ordered the United States to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu, responding to a US demand this week that China close its Houston consulate.

Renewed tensions between the world’s top two oil consumers further stoked worries about fuel demand.

“Smooth international trade relations are needed for oil demand to remain uninterrupted on the long term and tensions between the U.S. and China are never a good sign,” said Bjornar Tonhaugen, Head of Oil Markets at Rystad Energy. (Excerpt from Reuters)

South African Police nab 63 prisoners Russia satellite: Kremlin accuses US from mass escape

and UK of “distorting” truth

A

ccusations from the US and UK that Russia recently tested anti-satellite weaponry in space are "distorted", Russia's Defence Ministry said.

"Tests carried out [on 15 July] did not create a threat for other spacecraft," the Ministry said, adding that it had not violated international law.

Moscow said earlier that it had been using new technology to perform checks on Russian space equipment.

But the US and UK said they were concerned about the satellite activity.

It is the first time that the UK has made accusations about Russian test-firing in space, and comes just days after an inquiry said the UK government "badly underestimated" the threat posed by Russia.

The US State Department also said it had observed the use by Russia of "what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry".

The US and Russia are to hold bilateral talks on space security in Vienna next week, the first since 2013.

The talks could be an opportunity to emphasise that "outer space is not a lawless and ungoverned territory", US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation Christopher Ford said.

In a statement on Friday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said that one of the country's "inspector" satellites

had "carried out a check of a Russian spacecraft at close range with the use of specialised small spacecraft apparatus".

It said the operation "did not violate any norms or principles of international law".

The Ministry accused the US and UK of "again attempting to present the situation in a distorted manner in order to... justify their steps to deploy weapons in space and achieve funding to that end".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

A

South African Police and security dragnet recaptured 63 out of 69 prisoners who escaped on Friday after overpowering guards during exercise at Malmesbury prison, the department of correctional services said.

The prisoners, who were awaiting trial, escaped around noon from the facility, situated along the west coast some 66 kms (41 miles) from Cape Town, officials said. At the time, there were 451 inmates in the prison

and 20 officials on duty.

“The escapees overpowered officials, took the keys and locked three officials in a cell and opened other cells before escaping through the main entrance and over the roof,” said the department in a statement.

South Africa’s prisons are notorious for their entrenched gang culture, where overstretched staff are often targeted in overcrowded prisons and rehabilitation is difficult.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

20

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

Don't fall behind. Put in the time to finish what you start in order to avoid criticism and complaints.

Physical activities will ease stress, and romance will brighten your day.

TAURUS

Your friends and family will welcome a change you make. Get into the swing of things and expand your interests. Time spent learning something new will pay off.

(March 21April 19)

(April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

If you remain calm, everything around you will settle down. Look inward and concentrate on personal growth and making physical changes that will boost your confidence. Romance will enhance your life.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Make your thoughts and feelings clear. You may meet with opposition, but once you know who is on your side and who isn't, it will pave the way to a better future.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Evaluate your situation and consider ways to make it better. A pick-me-up will lead to a positive change and healthier relationships.

Romance and physical fitness are favored.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Take part in a program that teaches you something you want to master. The experience will have an impact on your life that will be instrumental in guiding you in the right direction.

LIBRA

Reevaluate your motives.

Think twice about how you are dealing with others. Go over your papers and make the necessary updates. Stop procrastinating and start initiating change.

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

Combine business and pleasure. Discuss your ideas with someone you hope will take part in carrying them out.

Make your intentions clear and proceed with your plans. A lifestyle change will enrich you emotionally and spiritually.

Take aggressive action SAGITTARIUS if it will help you get things (Nov. 23done. The changes you Dec. 21) make at home will make it easier to adjust to new living conditions. Romance will lift your spirits.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Avoid getting into a spat with someone eager to fight back. If a change is necessary, make it in good faith and with the support of those affected by your actions.

You can count on your emotions to steer you in the right direction. Listen to your heart and do what's best for you. Personal improvements will boost your morale.

Keep personal information secret. Take an intelligent approach when dealing with seniors and children.

Heartfelt discussions will get you further than forcing your will on others.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

21

US, Mexican & Brazilian Grands Prix will not go ahead in 2020

F

ormula 1 has called off the US, Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix this year, as a result of the coronavirus crisis in the Americas.

With infection rates rising in these three countries, F1 bosses believe it would be irresponsible to hold races there. Instead, three further races in Europe are to be added to the calendar. These will see a return of Germany's Nurburgring and Imola in Italy, and an F1 debut for Portugal's Portimao track.

The US Grand Prix, in Austin, Texas, had been due to be held on 23 October; while the Mexican Grand Prix, in Mexico City, was to be held a week later, and the Brazilian Grand Prix was to be held on 13 November. However, F1 officials have accepted that it would be impossible to hold these races.

Any hope of reviving the Canadian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for June but postponed in April, have also been abandoned.

The coronavirus has a much lower prevalence in Canada, but the country has local restrictions and travel rules that make it impossible to hold a race there.

An F1 statement has said: "Due to the fluid nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions, and the importance of keeping communities and our colleagues safe, it will not be possible to race in Brazil, USA, Mexico and Canada this season."

“The grand prix at the Nurburgring, which last hosted a race in 2013, will be held on 11 October, when it will be vulnerable to bad weather”.

The date is the latest in the year a grand prix has ever been held on the historic track in the Eifel mountains, where snow has been known to fall even in

LIVERPOOL PLAN TO 'IMPROVE EVERYTHING' FOR NEXT SEASON – Klopp warns rivals

J

urgen Klopp has vowed Liverpool will "stay greedy" for trophies next season after landing their first Premier League title.

The Reds will attempt to reach the 99-point mark when they travel to Newcastle United on Sunday's final day of their campaign.

Liverpool are the reigning English, European and world club champions, so are on a high they will struggle to match in years to come.

The latest accolade saw captain Jordan Henderson given the Footballer of the Year award by the Football Writers' Association on Friday.

But Klopp sees the successes Liverpool have achieved as incentive to go on and secure more silverware, having banished his own reputation as a nearly man.

"That doesn't make it easier to be honest, but it gives you at least the proof it's possible," he said, reflecting on Liverpool's recent feats.

"I'm a specialist in coming second, so that needs some mental strength to try it again, try it again and try it again.

"I could see that to win the Champions League last year made all the other things happen."

Liverpool were also a whisker away from the 2018-19 Premier League title, pipped by Manchester City.

"I think the reaction was really good but it was how it should be when you're that close, you just have to invest more and then you can get over the line," Klopp said.

"We will stay greedy. We have to and we will, but if that then leads automatically to more trophies I don't know because oth-

er teams have other reasons to make the next step."

Klopp said his team are already a group nobody enjoys tackling, but he plans to make that even more so the case in 2020-21, as Liverpool aim to bring additions to the Anfield trophy

Jurgen Klopp

room.

He said: "We will try to improve everything. if you make a cut where the season finishes on Sunday, enjoy it and be happy 100 per cent, and mid-August we start training again and we will try it again with all we have.

"It's a really nice story the boys wrote over the year, but it's not finished yet. “We decide when we are finished.”

the summer, and certainly cannot be ruled out in October.

Portimao, on the Algarve, will follow on 25 October, with Imola happening on 1 November. Imola will be a two-day event; meaning, there will be no Friday practice.

Imola has long, historic connections with F1. It replaced Monza as the home of the

Italian Grand Prix in 1980, and had a permanent home on the calendar as the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 to 2006.

It is also notorious as the track on which Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed on consecutive days in 1994.

Portimao is to be one of the first racing events to accommodate spectators this year; this follows the decision of the organisers of the Russian Grand Prix, being held from 23 to 25 September, to sell tickets to the event in Sochi, on the Black Sea coast.

F1 still does not have a full calendar, but says it remains hopeful of being able to have "between 15 and 18 races this year, and end in the Gulf in mid-December".

The additional three races at the Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola will take the calendar to 13, and the season is expected to conclude with two races in Bahrain and one in Abu Dhabi in November and December.

And F1 is working on one or two races in Asia in early to mid-November. The new street circuit in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, which had been due to make its debut as an F1 venue in April, is expected to hold a race, and there is the possibility of a return to Malaysia's Sepang track, which held grand prix races from 1999 to 2017. (BBC Sport)

IPL 2020 TO START ON SEPTEMBER 19 – final to be on November 8 or 10

T

he 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between September 19 and November 10 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Brijesh Patel, IPL Governing Council Chairman, told ESPNcricinfo that the final could be played on November 8 or 10; a definitive decision is expected soon.

Even as the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has set the ball rolling for relocating the IPL to the UAE, it still needs the nod of the Indian Government.

Earlier this week, Patel had said that permission "will come", and had confirmed that Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah would be the three main venues for the tournament.

Patel has said the tournament dates had been "circulated" among the IPL Governing Council members, but he did not confirm whether there is a Governing Council meeting scheduled, which was speculated to take place this weekend.

Further, he has said that key points, including the schedule along with the contours of what a biosecure bubble would comprise, would be finalised and communicated to the franchises soon. It is understood the franchises were informed only about the tournament dates on Thursday, and were told further details would emerge soon.

One key advantage of having the tournament in the UAE is the quarantine period is more relaxed. Currently, anyone travelling into the UAE needs to test negative before flying in, and also has to take a test upon landing. If both those tests are negative, there is no quarantine required. But if a person lands without having done a test prior to flying in, then a quarantine period is mandatory.

The IPL will comprise 60 matches, and will be played over 51 days (in case final is on

November 8). In the original schedule, prepared in March of this year, the tournament days stretched to 50 to keep the double-headers at a minimal, as requested by the franchises who did not want players to suffer during the peak Indian summer. It is likely that double-headers would remain minimal even in the UAE.

It remains to be seen whether the IPL will stick to evening matches commencing at 8pm IST despite reservations from host broadcaster Star Sports, which was skeptical about games stretching past midnight. It is likely that the IPL will reconsider advancing the start time to 7.30pm IST. With the final on November 8 or 10, the Indian players will also have enough time to quarantine for two weeks in Australia for the Test series scheduled to start on December 3 in Brisbane. (ESPNCricinfo)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

CLASSIFIED ADS LEARN TO DRIVE Shalom Enterprise, 2 Coral Street, Stabroek. You could also obtain an International Driving Permit covering 131 Countries. Call: 2277560/619-0106/659-3381 Follow us on Facebook.

WI-England Tests to contest new Richards-Botham Trophy

FOR LEASE Approximately 10,000 sq ft Land.

25 Public Road, Agricola, front and rear access (Perfect for Storage Bond). US $3,000 Neg. (Long Term available). 647-572-3378 / 289980-2711.

FOR RENT Bottom Flat to Rent 25 Oronoque / North Road, Bourda. Either for Domestic / Business use. Fully Furnished A.C, Windows / Door Grilled or Mesh 4 Rooms Tel. 2267012

FOR SALE Puppies for Sale. Pure-Bred German Shepherd Pups. Vaccinated and Dewormed. 622-0015/220-8559.

PROPERTY FOR SALE Location: Sheriff Street properties 1.

Land- 9,000 Sq. feet of Prime Land. 2.

Land and Building. Land – 60 by 120 feet. Building in Excellent Condition.

Two story concrete at: Pete’s Real Estate Lot 2 George Street, W/Rust.

623-7805 or 223-6218.

TAXI SERVICES GR TAXI, 24 HOURS. PHONE: 2257878, 219-5000, 227-2100.

VACANCY Bond Clerk/Supervisor - Basic C.X.C- 1 Year work experience, Mima Décor, 8 Sheriff Street. 2270176/86, mimadecor12@gmail. com

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

NOW!

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Captains Jason Holder and Joe Root hold the Wisden Trophy

E

ngland and the West Indies will compete for a new Richards-Botham Trophy when they next meet in a Men’s Test series.

The intention is to pay tribute to two of their greatest players, whose rivalry and friendship embody the close relationship and mutual respect that exist between the two sides.

The third Test of the #RaiseTheBat Series, which commenced at the Emirates Old Trafford on Friday, would be the last time the two sides compete for the Wisden Trophy, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have announced. The new RichardsBotham Trophy, which replaces the Wisden Trophy, will now be contested when the teams next meet in a Test series.

The Richards-Botham Trophy honours Sir Vivian Richards, one of cricket’s greatest batsmen, and scorer of more than 8,500 runs in a 121-Test career; and Sir Ian Botham, the legendary all-rounder who scored more than 5,000 runs and took 383 wickets in 102 Tests.

Having been fierce competitors on the pitch, the pair developed a great friendship off it, and that

friendship still endures; thus, the new trophy is a fitting way to celebrate the warm relationship between these two nations, and to honour the gladiatorial spirit of contests past and present.

The Wisden Trophy, first introduced in 1963 to commemorate the hundredth edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, will now be retired and be displayed at the MCC Museum at Lord’s, where it has traditionally been kept.

Sir Vivian Richards has said: “This is a huge honour for my good friend Ian and myself. I am delighted to know that the game that I have shown my love for since a little boy is naming such a prestigious award in recognition of what I managed to achieve as a cricketer.

“When I had the opportunity to go to England and represent Somerset, one of the first persons I met was Ian Botham, who would later become one of my best friends.

We are friends for life.

“To have this trophy – West Indies vs England – named in honour of our work on the cricket field, is great. What I think is also remarkable is that it says a lot about our relationship off the field as well.

We were competitors on the field, but we showed we were brothers

off the field. I’m proud to have my name on one side of the trophy with him on the other side.”

Sir Ian Botham has said: “Viv was the finest batsman I ever played against. He’s a great friend, but we’ve always been competitive, not least when we were on the cricket field, and there was no one else’s wicket I would treasure more.

“Playing the West Indies was always one of the toughest Tests in cricket, and it’s an honour for this trophy to bear our names. I hope future series will be just as exciting as the one we’ve all been enjoying this summer.”

Sir Vivian Richards averaged 62.36 against England across his career, eight hundreds included. He dominated the 1976 series between the two sides, scoring 829 runs at an average of 118.42 in the series, which West Indies won 3-0.

This included 232 in the first Test and 291 in the fifth.

He also made what at the time was the fastest Test hundred in the game, against England in 1986. It took him just 56 balls to reach his century; and that record is still the joint second fastest of all time.

Facing the best team in the world at that time, Sir Ian Botham took 61 wickets at an average of 35 against the West Indies, with three five-wicket hauls and a best of 8-103 at Lord’s.

He also scored four 50s, with a best of 81 in the same game at Lord’s in 1984.

Colin Graves, ECB Chair, has said: “England and the West Indies have produced many magic cricketing moments over the years; and this series has been no different, even though it’s been played in very different circumstances.

“We remain very grateful for West Indies’ travelling here to play this series, and it’s fitting that we’ve got such an exciting final Test in store as the teams compete for the Wisden Trophy for the final time.

“The Wisden Trophy was introduced nearly 60 years ago to mark the 100th edition of the Almanack, and we’ve been extremely proud to contest it since then. Both we and

Viv Richards of the West Indies hooks Ian Botham of England during the Fifth Test at the Oval in London in August, 1984

Cricket West Indies felt that the time was right to honour two of our greatest modern players.

“Sir Vivian and Sir Ian were fierce competitors on the pitch, but great friends off it, exemplifying the spirit of the contests between our two cricketing nations, and providing perfect inspiration for those who compete for the RichardsBotham Trophy in years to come.”

Ricky Skerritt, President of CWI, has said: “Sir Viv’s phenomenal West Indies track record against England, both as a player and captain, and his longstanding friendship with his former Somerset teammate and England rival Sir Ian Botham, presented an excellent opportunity to honour two uniquely suited living legends.

“Both honorees put their heart into the game, and always gave their all for their teams and countries. There are other West Indian cricket legends whose names could also have been chosen for this honour, but none more deserving than Sir Viv.”

TKR to start training next week for CPL 2020 T

he TRINBAGO Knight Riders (TKR) would start training as a team from next week, in preparation for the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament which takes place in Trinidad from August 18 to September 12.

The tournament, uncertain for months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, would for the first time be held in its entirety in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. A total of 34 matches would be played either

at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair or at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.

Some of the TKR players, who are part of the TT Red Force set-up, started training weeks ago. Ten of the lo-

cally-based TKR players are expected to start training together, according to Team Manager Colin Borde.

“The local boys met, and have had some initial fitness tests done…the team training schedules are being completed, and by next week we should be up and running,” Borde told Newsday.

“Personalised training has been on-

going for the

past weeks, as well as fielding drills,” he added.

TKR’s foreign players, and all other players entering Trinidad, would face the mandatory 14day quarantine period.

TKR are aiming to dethrone defending champions Barbados Tridents and win their fourth CPL title in eight years.

The other franchises vying for the crown are St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs and St Lucia Zouks.

All the players and officials would be staying at the Hilton Hotel. (TT Newsday)

Trinbago Knight Riders’ Manager, Colin Borde

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

BATSMEN OLLIE POPE, JOS BUTTLER SHORE UP ENGLAND’S EFFORT

A

steadying innings from Ollie Pope rescued England in the face of some threatening West Indies bowling early on Friday, the opening day of the series-deciding Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

At the close of play, and with rain expected to feature heavily on Saturday, Pope, unbeaten, was just nine runs shy of his century, with England on 258 for 4 after they had been 47 for 2 before lunch, and 92 for 3 after the break.

Rory Burns contributed 57, but with England effectively a batsman down, after leaving out Zak Crawley to accommodate an extra seamer in the likely event that Ben Stokes was unable to bowl, the hosts ideally needed someone to convert a start, especially after a shaky beginning to their innings.

Kemar Roach was the most effective bowler; his 2 for 56 included the important wicket of Stokes, as he moved within one wicket of becoming the ninth West Indies bowler to reach the 200-mark in Tests.

Jos Buttler helped England's cause and his own, having come into this match under pressure, after a year in which he has averaged 21.26 from 12 Tests, and had returned scores of 35, 9, 40 and zero for this series. On this occasion, he managed 56 off 120 deliveries, his first half-century in a Test since September 2019, some 15 innings ago.

Pope, who also had been quiet in the previous two matches, having returned a high score of 12*, went into his 10th Test

with an unb e a t e n century and a fifty under his belt this year, scored against South Africa. He now has a career average of 39.41.

Pope’s innings was assured, coming off 142 balls and including 11 fours. He came in with his side three wickets down, with England's batsmen having all moved up a place after Crawley's

omission, leaving Joe Root back at No. 3 rather than his preferred berth at No. 4.

Dom Sibley, whose marathon 120 helped set up England's 113-run victory in the second Test, was out for nought on the sixth ball of the match; lbw to an excellent Roach delivery that angled into the stumps off a length, and straightened slightly.

A wave of concern must surely have rippled through the West Indies' ranks when Shannon Gabriel pulled up two balls into his fourth over, the eighth of the day, with an apparent leg problem. Having won the toss and elected to bowl with two spinners -- Rahkeem Cornwall having been brought in to replace Alzarri Joseph, with Roston Chase being the other spinner -- the tourists were relieved when Gabriel returned to the field after the first drinks break, following a stretch to alleviate "some general tightness".

Roston Chase struck from the field to remove Root. As Burns steered Cornwall towards third man, Root set off for a quick single, but Chase swooped on the ball and fired it into the keeper's end, removing the bails with a direct hit that caught Root short of his crease.

With Root's dismissal, Stokes, who admitted on the morning of the match to having felt better, after injuring his quad muscle while bowling late on the final day of the second Test -- in which he played a starring role with bat and ball -- was thrust into the action perhaps before he would have liked.

Stokes reached 20 before Roach struck again, with a gem of a delivery that beat his forward defence and crashed into middle and off stumps.

Burns had been ticking along nicely before he fell, thanks to the sharpest of slip catches by Cornwall, who thrust out his hand to snatch a top edge from an attempted cut off the bowling of Chase, to leave England on 122 for 4.

W h i l e

West Indies took the second new ball in Burns had shared in promising partnerships with Root, Stokes and Pope, England the 83rd over, but, now both entrenched, had to wait until Pope and Buttler came to- the batsmen safely navigated the remaingether for their first 50-plus union of the ing 3.4 overs before bad light stopped play.

The opening day of the Test was desigmatch; and their unbroken stand of 136 nated #RedForRuth Day, and helped raise was just what England needed.

Pope survived an appeal for lbw to in excess of £280,000 for the Ruth Strauss Gabriel, which was adjudged not out before Foundation, a charity set up in honour of West Indies' review. Hawk-Eye showed the former England captain Andrew Strauss's ball, which hit Pope just above the knee wife, who died in 2018 from a rare form of roll, was clipping the bails; and the deci- lung cancer. The charity aims to fund research into the disease, and provide supsion stayed with the on-field umpire's call.

Pope responded with a four off Gabriel port for families facing the loss of a parent. two balls later, to move his tally to 47, and To mark the occasion, players and staff he brought up his fifty with a boundary off from both sides wore red caps before play commenced.

Jason Holder in the next over.

Both sides and their support staff also Another West Indies review went Pope's way when Cornwall, making his first ap- took a knee before the start of play, done pearance in this series, struck him on the in support of the Black Lives Matter movepad and shouted heartily in appeal; but re- ment, as they have done throughout the seplays showed the ball was turning too much ries. (ESPNCricinfo) and missing leg stump.

From there on, Pope and Buttler scored reasonably freely, Buttler bringing up his fifty with two runs punched through the covers DM Bess, JC Archer, SCJ ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS off Chase.

Broad, JM Anderson RJ Burns c Cornwall b Chase 57 Buttler had sacriDP Sibley lbw b Roach 0 ficed his wicket in chasing O M R W JE Root (c) run out (Chase) 17 BOWLING much-needed quick runs for 2 56 2 BA Stokes b Roach 20 KAJ Roach 18.4 his side during England's 4 47 0 second innings in the previOJ Pope not out 91 ST Gabriel 18 5 45 0 ous Test, but here he mixed JC Buttler †not out 56 JO Holder 20 control with his trademark 4 71 0 Extras (b 12, lb 3, nb 2) 17 RRS Cornwall 21 free hitting, his innings inRL Chase 8 2 24 1 TOTAL (85.4 Ov, RR: 3.01)258/4 cluding five fours and two Yet to bat: CR Woakes, sixes.

SCOREBOARD

FIBA lifts suspension of all basketball competitions

MOISTURE IN PITCH INFLUENCED HOLDER'S DECISION AT THE TOSS

...says vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite

F

or the second time in as many matches, Jason Holder won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Rahkeem Cornwall replaced Alzarri Joseph in the starting XI, and the other pacers on show: Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder and Kemar Roach, looked a bit sore. Gabriel made an exit early in the day, after showing rust in his bowling. He has been present in all three starting XI for West Indies this series.

After the opening day's play, West Indies vicecaptain Kraigg Brathwaite noted that the team had a plan which entailed making full use of the moisture in the pitch. West Indies were in control of the game in the first two sessions of play, but an Ollie Pope-Jos Buttler unbeaten 136-run partnership pegged them on the back-foot for the latter part of the day.

"I don't think we are out of (contention), to be honest. Once we come out tomorrow and control the scoring rate, that would be good. The team had a plan to bowl first; it's pretty much an even day.

Tomorrow we have to start back well, and look to limit them as least as possible," Brathwaite posited.

Speaking on Cornwall's first day of play in the series, Brathwaite has said he believes Cornwall was

good in controlling the runs, but it was unfortunate that he did not get a wicket.

In terms of the West Indies’ endeavour to restrict the Englishmen, Brathwaite noted that the bowlers have to start well, and maintain patience.

"A lot of dot balls will create pressure and bring wickets,” he said. “Once we keep it tight in the morning session, that will bring us some wickets," he explained.

Speaking about Gabriel's fitness, Brathwaite noted that Gabriel is “good”.

With West Indies equipped with the new-ball that is “under five years old”, Brathwaite believes that using this new ball in finesse is very important.

"The harder ball on the surface is good, (but) I think the new-ball is crucial to us," Brathwaite declared. At one stage of the game, England were 122-4, but Buttler and Pope took control of the game away from the Windies. With the entire Caribbean calling for West Indies batsmen to score hundreds, Brathwaite is looking to build a good foundation with his fellow opener. The right-handed opener is aiming to convert his starts, having recorded two halfcenturies in the series thus far. (Brandon Corlette)

– after 5 months in effect

F

ollowing the report of the last meeting of the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA’s) Medical Advisory Group (MAG), FIBA has decided to lift the suspension of all FIBA competitions. That suspension had been in place since March 13, 2020.

The restart of FIBA competitions (Basketball and 3×3 Basketball) will be based on the adjusted calendar confirmed by the FIBA Executive Committee in April and the calendars for continental/sub-continental youth and club competitions approved accordingly by the Zone Boards, after consultation with the FIBA MAG. The FIBA MAG has identified a number of best practices of professional leagues that have restarted their competitions recently, and has collected many health protocols.

In order to help national federations and leagues with planning for the return of their competitions in the next months, in addition to

the “Guidelines for the Return to Basketball” published on May 26, FIBA will make available to its members the collected national restart protocols, and will continue to provide advice through the FIBA Medical Commission.

Compliance with the applicable decisions of public authorities alongside FIBA’s rules and guidelines is of paramount importance for the health and safety of the players, coaches, officials and fans.

FIBA has said it would continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis, and communicate further updates in regard to FIBA competitions regularly.

Head of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), Jermaine Slater, has welcomed this moved; and in a social media message, has urged players to be ready, since GABA plans to roll out its programmes as soon as the green light is given by the National COVID-19 Task Force.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020

Sport is no longer our game, it’s our business

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 23

BATSMEN OLLIE POPE, JOS BUTTLER SHORE UP ENGLAND’S EFFORT Pg 23

Pg 23

MOISTURE IN PITCH INFLUENCED HOLDER’S DECISION AT THE TOSS ...says vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite

Pg 23

Head of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), Jermaine Slater

FIBA lifts suspension of all basketball competitions

- after 5 months in effect

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.